-FAN    Z 


J  N  I  V  r.  k  5  I  T  Y 


Tke  Milck  Goat 
Dai 


airy 

SECOND  EDITION 


By  G.  H.  WICKERSHAM 


WICHITA.  KANSAS 


PRICE  FIFTY  CENTS 


XX 


Tke  Milck  Goat 
Dairy 

SECOND  EDITION 

By  G.  H.  ^Vickersham,  \Viclaita,  Kansas 


F 


r 


"Black  Oak,"  one  of  the   Writer's  Finest  Breeding  Bucks.      His 

Blood  is  one-naif  Swiss  Toggenburg  and  one-half  Nubian,  weight 

175  Ibs.      He  is  one  of  the  best  to  be  found  in  this  country. 

PRICE  FIFTY  CENTS 

"Go,  little  booklet,  go, 

Thou  bear'st  an  honest  name, 
And  everywhere,  where  thou  hast  went, 

They're  glad  that  thou  hast  carre." 


JOHNSTON   PRESS 
WICHITA 


MILCH  GOAT  DAIRY 

By  G.  H.  WICKERSHAM 


IF  there  is  one  feature  of  agriculture  more  worthy  of  development  than 
another  it  is  the  milch  goat  industry.  Goats  have  been  associated  with 

man  dating  back  as  far  as  our  most  ancient  history.  In  the  scriptures 
goats  milk  is  mentioned  more  frequently  than  any  other  kind  of  milk,  show- 
ing that  it  has  been  used  as  an  article  of  food  for  mankind  from  the  most 
remote  period.  Three  of  the  most  important  requisites  of  ancient  man  were 
supplied  him  by  the  goat;  they  were  meat,  milk  and  clothing,  and  in  many 
countries  today  the  goat  is  the  chief  sustainer  of  the  inhabitants. 

The  milch  goat  industry  in  the  United  States  is  a  comparatively  new 
one,  having  received  very  little  attention  in  this  country  prior  to  1909, 
owing  to  various  reasons.  First  of  these  reasons  possibly  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  to  secure  importations  from  the  countries  where  the  best  milk 
producing  stock  were  to  be  had  was  almost  impossible,  as  the  inhabitants 
of  these  countries  were  loath  to  sell  any  of  their  stock  to  importers,  just 
as  it  has  been  in  securing  and  importing  the  Angora  goats  from  Turkey 
and  the  countries  where  the  best  of  its  kind  was  to  be  had.  Second:  The 
importation  of  goats  is  forbidden  or  so  hedged  about  with  restrictions  of 
the  department  of  agriculture  that  there  is  great  difficulty  in  securing  the 
number  of  pure  bred  animals  which  breeders  would  like  to  have,  but  with 
the  stock  received  prior  to  the  laying  of  the  quarantine  some  excellent 
milking  strains  are  being  developed.  Third:  The  foolish  ridicule  that  has 
always  been  attached  to  anything  bearing  the  name  of  "Goat,"  has  kept 
its  true  value  as  a  milk  producing  animal  more  in  seclusion,  but  since  it 
has  become  an  evident  fact  that  the  Angora  goat  industry  is  a  grand  suc- 
cess and  is  securely  established  throughout  the  country  in  general,  many 
people  have  very  naturally  cast  aside  the  idea  that  ALL  goats  are  worth- 
less and  were  guilty  of  making  old  shoes  and  tin  cans  their  chief  article 
of  diet. 

There  has  been  so  much  of  ridicule  attached  to  the  goat  for  some  un- 
known reason  that  people  here  have  been  slow  to  accept  them.  However 
ithey  are  beginning  to  come  into  their  own,  and  a  person  can  confess  that 
he  uses  goat  milk  without  fear  of  a  sneer  or  a  funny  look  greeting  him. 
Physicians  are  helping  along,  for  they  prescribe  goat's  milk  for  babies  and 
invalids  when  nothing  else  agrees  with  them.  The  people  of  the  United 
States  are  at  last  beginning  to  wake  up  to  the  possibilities  of  the  milch 
goat.  We  are  the  last  civilized  country  to  raise  goats  for  milk  purposes, 
for  every  other  country  from  Bible  days  down  have  known  them.  Germany, 
Italy,  Spain  and  Switzerland,  where  they  are  brought  to  their  best  and 
from  where  our  best  goats  are  imported.  People  of  moderate  circumstances 
in  the  suburbs  of  our  cities  are  asking  whether  they  can  do  better  by  keep- 
ing milch  goats.  The  poorer  classes  of  these  suberbs,  to  whom  milk  is  a 

3 


luxury,  arc  wondering  if  they  can  not  find  a  blessing  in  a  milch  goat.  With 
the  miners  in  the  coal  districts  the  milch  goat  is  a  proven  friend.  And 
while  the  milch  goat  is  often  called  "The  Poor  Man's  Cow,"  yet  we  find 
many  of  the  wealthy  classes  now  harboring  the  cunning  milch  goat  and 
appreciating  it's  milk  and  friendship. 

Prior  to  April,  1904,  there  were  scarcely  no  pure-bred  Swiss  goats  in 
the  United  States.  In  that  month  the  first  consignment  of  Swiss  goats  to 
our  country  was  made,  consisting  of  sixteen  Toggenburgers  and  ten  Saanen. 
Since  this  date  only  a  few  of  the  recognized  milch  goat  breeds  have  reached 
our  shores. 

The  husbandry  of  milch  goats  in  some  of  the  European  countries  forms 
the  chief  occupation  of  the  people,  particularly  in  Switzerland,  the  total 
area  being  only  16,000  square  miles.  This  country  is  less  than  half  the 
size  of  the  state  of  Indiana,  yet  in  1901  it  is  officially  stated  that  the  pro- 
duction of  goats  milk  alone  was  19,875,000  gallons,  and  that  the  estimated 
value  in  that  country  of  goats  milk  being  ten  cents  per  quart,  it  would 
equal  nearly  $8,000,000.  The  annual  estimated  value  of  goats  milk  in  Ger- 
many is  worth  about  $39,000,000.  Spain,  Italy,  France  and  Norway  derive 
a  large  revenue  from  the  milch  goat  industry. 

Some  figures  are  shown  here,  quoted  from  Detweiler,  which  give  some 
very  interesting  statistics  with  reference  to  the  milch  industry  in  Germany. 
They  are  as  follows: 

Value  of  Goats $11,900,000 

Value  of  Goat's  Milk  Products 35,700,000 

Value  of  Goats  Slaughtered 1,547,000 

Value  of  Kids  Slaughtered 1,785,000 

This  shows  the  importance  of  the  industry  in  Germany  alone. 

ADAPTABILITY  OF  MILCH  GOATS  TO  OUR  CLIMATE 

THE  milch  goat  is  an  animal  that  adapts  itself  very  readily  to  most 
any  climate  that  might  be  found  in  the  United  States.  It  is  un- 
doubtedly the  most  hardy  of  all  domestic  animals,  thriving  well  in 
our  most  extreme  northern  states  and  in  extreme  southern.  There  are, 
however,  a  few  species  of  goats  native  to  Southern  Europe,  India,  and 
Africa  that  can  not  be  kept  profitably  in  this  country  unless  it  be  in  our 
most  southern  states.  Some  of  these  breeds  are  our  very  best  types  of 
milch  goat  stock  and  by  crossing  them  with  our  hardy  northern  breeds  it 
is  possible  to  produce  the  very  best  milking  stock  that  will  adapt  itself  to 
the  various  conditions  and  climate  of  the  United  States. 

Swiss  Toggenburgs,  Swiss  Saanen,  Spanish  Maltese,  and  Nubian  cross 
bred  goats  thus  far  have  proven  to  be  very  successful  in  this  country. 
The  above  mentioned  breeds  do  as  well  here  as  the  Angora  and  are  prov- 
ing themselves  to  be  a  more  remunerative  animal.  In  some  ways  they 
resemble  the  Angoras,  prefering  as  they  do  the  higher  lands  and  shunning 
any  low  marsh  soils.  They  shun  dampness  in  every  form  and  would  prob- 
ably not  prove  themselves  so  well  adapted  to  the  low  swampy  localities  of 
our  country. 

In  1909  our  government  located  a  milch  goat  farm  thirteen  miles  out 
of  Washington,  D.  C,,  with  the  idea  of  studying  the  possibility  of  producing 
useful  milch  goats  from  native  stock  with  the  use  of  sires  of  imported 
blood.  The  first  step  was  to  purchase  a  number  of  southern  native  does. 
During  1910  and  1911  milk  and  feed  records  were  kept.  In  1911  a  pure 
bred  Saanen  buck  was  procured  and  in  1914  they  had  ten  half  blood  Saanen 

4 


does  in  milk,  one  of  these  does  averaging  over  five  pounds  of  milk  a  day 
on  dry  feed.  In  1912  and  1913  part  of  these  does  were  bred  to  a  Toggen- 
burg  buck. 


HEALTHFULNESS  AND  SUPERIOR  QUALITY  OF  GOAT'S  MILK 

THERE  is  but  very  little  question  as  to  the  immunity  of  the  goat  from 
germs  of  tuberculosis,  in  fact  an  eminent  Paris  physician  states 

that  he  experimented  by  inoculating  goats  with  virus  of  tuberculosis 
and  that  none  of  them  ever  showed  any  evidence  or  indications  of  having 
had  the  malady  communicated  to  them  by  the  inoculation  nor  has  he  ever 
found  a  goat  infected  with  any  other  similar  malady.  Some  authors  claim 
that  it  is  possible  for  goats  to  contract  this  disease,  but  it  is  conceded  by 
the  greatest  majority  of  writers  that  the  milch  goat  is  free  from  liability 
to  any  of  the  diseases  incident  to  or  prevalent  among  other  species  of  farm 
animals  except  the  foot  and  mouth  disease. 

It  has  been  a  common  practice  to  keep  a  goat  about  a  stable  of  fine 
horses  or  cattle  for  the  supposed  purpose  of  warding  off  diseases  and  keep- 
ing the  other  animals  in  a  perfect  state  of  health.  Many  physicians  recom- 
mend keeping  one  on  the  premises  for  the  health  as  well  as  the  amusement 
of  children.  This  accounts  to  some  extent  for  the  fact  that  goats  are  to 
be  seen  in  a  great  many  of  our  larger  cities  in  this  country  and  among  the 
families  of  the  old  world.  The  Swiss  people  attribute  their  remarkable 
good  health  to  the  constant  association  with  the  milch  goat  and  the  ex- 
tensive use  of  the  milk  in  their  diet. 

The  facts  as  stated  above  show  plainly  why  goats  milk  is  superior  to 
that  of  cows  in  that  it  is  practically  immune  from  the  diseases  that  are 
prevalent  with  the  cow  and  through  the  milk  is  transmitable  to  those 
using  it. 

The  problem  that  is  almost  incessantly  confronting  the  American  people 
today  is  that  of  getting  good  pure  milk.  In  most  cases  it  is  undoubtedly 
the  fault  of  the  milkman  that  so  much  milk  should  so  closely  resemble  the 
contents  of  the  pump,  but  through  the  agency  of  infection  the  cow  will 
have  to  share  some  of  the  blame  in  producing  milk  that  is  not  thoroughly 
wholesome.  Milk,  when  it  is  pure,  is  one  of  the  most  wholesome  of  all 
foods;  it  is  the  first  food  of  man  and  he  is  dependent  upon  it  to  a  large 
degree  throughout  life.  Would  it  not  seem  most  necessary  that  the  problem 
of  placing  in  the  reach  of  every  one  absolutely  pure,  sweet,  wholesome 
milk  be  solved  if  such  a  thing  is  possible!  To  all  intelligent  people  the 
fact  is  well  known  that  the  goat  is  practically  immune  from  all  infectious 
diseases  and  that  goat's  milk  contains  about  double  the  nutriment  as  that 
of  the  cows.  Then  why  wouldn't  the  milch  goat  solve  this  problem? 

Nearly  all  foreign  writers  agree  in  their  claims  as  to  the  value  of  goat's 
milk  for  invalids,  children  and  for  cooking  and  table  use.  Some  of  them 
regard  it  as  most  beneficial  when  taken  medicinally  for  certain  diseases 
and  ailments.  The  claim  is  generally  made  that  it  is  absolutely  free  at  all 
times  from  the  germs  of  tuberculosis.  The  milk  is  specially  recommended 
for  infants  because  of  its  similarity  in  composition  to  the  mother's  milk; 

5 


and  the  literature  is  full  of  instances  of  success  attending  the  use  of  the 
milk  with  children  that,  previous  to  its  use,  were  rapidly  wasting  away. 
Goat's  milk  is  used  quite  largely  in  the  hospitals  in  the  Swiss  and  French 
Alps  for  tuberculosis  patients  and  those  suffering  from  stomach  troubles. 

"Doctor  Boissard,  obstetrician  of  the  Paris  hospitals,  published  last 
year  a  report  on  the  results  given  by  the  use  of  goat's  milk,  and  the  latter 
were  favorable.  There  is  a  special  establishment  in  Paris  where  goats 
from  the  French  and  Swiss  Alps  are  kept.  The  greatest  cleanliness  is 
observed,  the  jugs  being  washed  in  boiled  water  at  milking  time;  the  milk- 


"AFTON  CURLEY"  when  one  year  old,  a  %  Swiss  Toggenburg  and  % 
Swiss  Saanen  buck,  used  by  the  writer  in  1910  as  a  breeding  buck;  his 
progeny  developed  into  good  milkers,  which  has  shown  his  prepotent 
powers.  This  buck  is  the  result  of  scientific  cross-breeding  with  the 
best  of  results. 


men  are 'obliged  to  wash  their  hands  with  soap;  and  the  bottles  and  milk 
cans  are  sterilized  by  being  boiled  in  a  solution  of  carbonite  of  sodium. 
It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  goat  does  not  readily  contract  tuberculasis, 
and  this,  of  course,  is  a  guaranty  of  some  importance." — The  Medical  Times, 
May,  1902;  Modern  Medicine,  July,  1902. 

"Goat's  milk  has  the  advantage  over  cow's  milk  of  being  free  from 
tubercle  bacilli,  and  can  be  taken  quite  fresh.  Contrary  to  general  opinion, 
the  taste  is  not  disagreeable  if  the  animals  are  properly  selected  and 
properly  kept,  being  considered  of  a  more  delicate  flavor  than  cow's  milk. 

6 


The  quantity  of  fats,  casein,  and  salt  varies  greatly  in  the  different  varieties 
of  goat.  For  infants  and  dyspeptics  the  weaker  milk  may  be  chosen,  while 
the  stronger  answers  better  for  debilitated  subjects." — Paris  Journal  of 
Medicine. 

The  leading  characteristics  of  goat's  milk  is  its  delicious  cream  like 
taste,  and  the  easiness  of  digestion,  due  principally  to  the  minute  size  of 
the  fat  globules.  These  are  so  small  that  cream  rises  very  slow  on  the 
milk.  This  feature  of  goat's  milk  makes  the  ordinary  method  of  separating 
the  cream  nearly  impractical,  but  with  the  modern  cream  separator  it  is 
probably  that  this  feature,  in  regards  to  butter  making,  can  be  overcome 
entirely.  The  keping  qualities  of  goat's  milk  are  about  the  same  as  that 
of  cow's  milk.  But  too  much  stress  can  not  be  put  on  the  importance  of 
cleanliness  in  milking,  which  affects  to  a  large  degree  the  keeping  qualities 
of  any  kind  of  milk.  The  strong  acrid  taste  often  noted  by  people  that 
have  drunk  goat's  milk  either  in  our  country  or  abroad  is  without  doubt 
due  to  two  causes;  that  of  uncleanliness  in  milking  or  improper  feed.  If 
the  milk  is  drawn  perfectly  clean  and  kept  in  clean  places,  it  does  not  have 
any  unpleasant  taste  whatever  and  it  would  take  a  very  exacting  critic  to 
detect  it  from  the  richest  cow's  milk.  The  flavor  of  goat's  milk  is  affected 
as  is  the  milk  of  the  cow  by  the  character  of  the  feed.  Because  of  the 
fact  that  the  goat  will  eat  most  any  kind  of  weeds  and  plants  and  if  allowed 
to  make  this  its  chief  diet,  it  is  only  reasonable  to  confirm  the  notion  that 
some  people  have  that  goat's  milk  is  poor  in  flavor  and  has  a  bad  odor. 

In  most  of  the  foreign  countries  the  milch  goat  is  allowed  to  shift  for 
itself  as  best  it  can,  which  necessitates  the  animal  eating  much  bad  food 
which  is  nothing  more  than  refuse.  Because  of  its  ability  to  thus  secure  a 
living  and  produce  milk  without  expense  to  its  owner,  it  is  kept  by  those 
who  are  unable  to  provide  food  for  it. 

The  American  people  understand  fully  well  the  causes  that  produce  bad 
flavored  milk  in  cows  and  will  not  expect  anything  radically  different  in 
the  milk  goat.  If  the  milking  does  are  permitted  to  roam  about  the  streets 
and  alleys  at  will  and  feed  upon  garbage,  shrubbery  and  aromatic  plants 
of  every  description,  good  flavored  milk  could  not  be  expected  from  either 
a  goat  or  a  cow.  All  these  things  have  their  influence  upon  the  flavor  of 
the  milk. 

"Many  persons  are  impressed  with  the  idea  that  this  milk  has  a 
peculiar  flavor,  but  this  impression  is  entirely  erroneous,  for  when  drawn 
clean  from  an  animal  in  health  it  resembles  cow's  milk,  both  in  taste  and 
appearance,  the  only  difference  being  that  it  is  richer,  thicker,  and  slightly 
sweeter,  containing  as  it  does  a  larger  proportion  of  sugar  and  cream  and 
less  water." — Pegler. 

"The  milk  from  goats  fed  upon  what  an  English  meadow  or  roadside 
yields  has  no  flavor  to  distinguish  it  from  cow's  milk,  except,  perhaps,  its 
extra  sweetness  and  creaminess;  in  short  it  is  only  distinguishable  by  its 
superiority." — Hook. 

"An  after  taste  of  goat's  milk,  according  to  statements  of  veterinarians, 
should  not  exist,  and  if  any  such  taste  or  smell  exist  it  must  be  traced  to 

7 


unclean  stables  or  bad  feed.  Even  cow's  milk  very  frequently  smells  badly 
under  these  conditions/' — Milch-Zeitung. 

"It  (the  milk)  possesses  a  singular  but  not  unpleasant  sharp  taste,  the 
strength  of  which  varies  with  the  feeding  and  keeping.  The  better  the 
feed,  the  cleaner  the  bedding,  the  better  ventilated  the  stall,  and  the  more 
painstaking  the  care,  just  so  much  more  pleasing  will  be  the  taste  of  the 
milk.  The  goatish  taste  is  always  to  be  attributed  to  the  lack  of  attention 
to  one  or  more  of  these  points." — Dettweiler. 

"Innoxious,  uninfectious,  sanitary  nourishment  for  the  infant,  the 
child,  the  invalid  and  the  aged,  has  been  until  recently  a  reflective  problem 
for  the  medical  man  as  well  as  the  layman.  All  the  different  stages  of 
our  existence  depend  not  only  upon  nourishment,  harmless  in  character,  but 
its  perfect  assimilation  for  best  results.  The  ideal  food  for  our  purpose  is 
human  milk,  from  healthy,  unimpregnated  mothers.  Its  only  substitute  of 
equal  value  is  now  offered  and  can  be  supplied  from  matured,  healthy,  un- 
impregnated milch  goats.  It  is  the  only  and  reliable  wholesome  milk  in 
reach.  The  statistics  of  the  world  are  against  the  use  of  cow's  milk  today 
for  food  in  the  above  mentioned  classes. 

"The  fourth  annual  report  of  the  District  of  Columbia  Association  for 
the  Prevention  of  Tuberculosis,  and  this  is  from  the  most  reliable  and 
highest  source  of  information  in  the  United  States,  tells  us  that  one-fourth 
of  all  cases  of  tuberculosis  among  children  under  16  years  of  age,  and  one- 
eighth  of  all  fatal  cases  under  5  years  of  age  are  due  to  bovine  tuberculosis. 
And  among  children  fed  exclusively  on  cows'  milk,  nine  out  of  ten  cases 
of  fatal  tuberculosis  revealed  that  five,  or  55  per  cent,  were  due  to  bovine 
infection.  The  most  noted  authorities  of  Europe  and  America  agree  that 
the  qualities  of  goats'  milk  lie  in  its  chemical  composition,  its  immunity 
from  the  danger  of  carrying  the  germs  of  tuberculosis  make  it  the  "ne  plus 
ultra"  of  all  foods.  As  a  prophecy,  remember  that  the  goat  will  be  the 
foster-mother  and  wet-nurse  of  generations  yet  unborn." — Louis  G.  Knox, 
M.  D.,  D.  V.  S. 

A  prominent  Buffalo  physician  says:  "I  take  great  pleasure  in  com- 
mending goats'  milk  for  the  infant,  where  other  foods  fail.  I  have  resorted 
to  goats'  milk  feeding  in  quite  a  few  cases,  and  only  recently  have  fed  two 
premature  (7  months'  gestation)  infants  on  this  food  with  most  flattering 
results." 

A  happy  mother,  Mrs.  George  Hoffman,  wrote:  "We  cannot  speak  too 
highly  of  the  use  of  goats'  milk  for  premature  infants.  Our  boy  at  one 
month  old  weighed  3%  pounds,  and  at  three  months  (after  using  the  goats' 
milk  obtained  from  the  McKeand  farm)  weighed  eight  pounds." 

To  make  a  fair  test  of  goats'  milk,  one  must  be  sure  that  the  milk 
has  been  prepared  by  the  latest  methods  that  are  used  in  certified  dairies. 
Under  these  conditions  the  milk  is  pleasant  to  the  taste  and  has  a  digesti- 
bility second  only  to  mothers'  milk.  Mr.  J.  L.  Strutton,  in  the  British 
Medical  Journal,  writes  that  in  Alexandria  the  matron  of  the  hospital  says 
that  babies  in  that  city  are  fed  direct  from  the  goats,  that  is,  by  having 
the  mouths  applied  to  the  washed  teats.  The  article  goes  on  to  say  that 
the  babies  are  rosy  and  plump,  rarely  cry,  just  eat  and  sleep.  This  direct 

8 


method  of  feeding  cannot  be  carried  out  as  a  general  practice,  but  the  clean 
milk  from  sterilized  bottles  will  produce  good,  strong  babies.  In  comparing 
goats'  milk  and  cows'  milk,  Dr.  Voelcker,  analyst  to  the  Royal  Agricultural 
Society,  says:  "The  cream  globules  in  goats'  milk  are  smaller  than  cows' 
milk,  and  as  the  milk  is  more  concentrated  than  cows'  milk,  the  cream  glob- 
ules are  contained  in  a  more  perfect  state  of  emulsion  than  in  cows'  milk, 
in  consequence  of  which  hardly  any  cream  rises  to  the  surface  on  allowing 
goats'  milk  to  stand  for  twelve  hours  or  longer." 

It  is  this  quality  of  goats'  milk  that  explains  the  fact  that  it  is  more 
easily  digested  by  young  children  than  cows'  milk.  According  to  the  re- 
port on  this  subject  at  the  International  Congress  of  Medicine  in  Paris  some 
years  ago,  the  following  statement  was  made: 


"A  GOOD  SPANISH  MILCH   GOAT,"  by  Fairchild, 
Bulletin  No.  68,  B.  A.  I.,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agri. 

(1)  The  curd  of  cows'  milk  forms  a  dense  adhering  mass,  which  by 
agitation  separates  into  clots  that  are  but  slightly  soluble.     The  curd  of 
goats'  milk,  on  the  other  hand,  forms  very  small,  light  flakes,  which  are 
soft,  friable  and  soluble  like  those  of  human  milk. 

(2)  The  curd  in  both  human  milk  and  goats'  milk,  after  agitation,  is 
precipitated  very  slowly  and  incompletely,  while  the  curd  of  cows'  milk  is 
precipitated  very  rapidly  and  completely. 

(3)  Digestive   ferments  when   goats'   and  human   milk  were   experi- 
mented with,  digested  these  completely  in  twenty  hours,  while  cows'  milk 
showed  only  slight  advance  after  sixty  hours.     The  goats'  milk  approxi- 
mates more  in  composition  and  digestibility  to  human  milk  than  any  other 
animal. 

Another  very  strong  argument  in  favor  of  goats'  milk  is  the  fact  that 
goats  are  free  from  tuberculosis.  The  fact  that  goats'  milk  contains  more 
proteid  than  cows'  milk  makes  the  food  value,  without  question,  greater 
than  cows'  milk.  It  is  a  fact  that  bottle-fed  babies  as  a  rule  are  under- 

9 


fed;  that  is,  the  amount  of  proteid  is  lacking  in  sufficient  quantities  because, 
undiluted  cows'  milk  cannot  be  digested  by  an  infant  until  the  tenth  month 
is  reached. 

In  modifying  goats'  milk  it  has  been  my  policy  to  base  my  modification 
on  a  5%  fat  basis. 

All  weights  herein  given  are  in  ounces. 
For  the  first  month: 

Goats'  milk,  %  ounce. 
Boiled  water,  %  ounce. 
Lime  water,  %  to  %  ounce. 

Feed  every  three  hours.  . 

Lime  water  is  gradually  diminished  until  the  second  month  is  reached, 
when  the  formula  is  changed  to — 
Goats'  milk,  l1/^  ounces. 
Boiled  water,  1%   ounces. 
Mead's  Depti  Maltose,  1  teaspoonful. 
Feed  once  in  3  hours. 

I  find  malt  sugar  superior  to  either  sugar  of  milk   or  cane-sugar  in 
modifying  goats'  milk.     Third  month: 
Goats'  milk,  3  ounces. 
Water   (boiled),  1  ounce. 
Mead's  malt  sugar,  %  teaspoonful. 
Feed  every  3  hours. 
Fourth  month: 

Goats'  milk,  5  ounces. 

Water,  boiled  sufficient  to  bring  fats  to  5%. 
Feed  every  3%  hours. 

Each  month,  after  the  fourth  month,  gradually  increase  the  amount 
of  the  feeding  one-half  to  one  ounce  a  month  until  eight  ounces  is  reached. 
And  then  feed  once  in  four  hours.  I  find  that  eight  ounces  of  goats'  milk 
will  satisfy  a  child  of  eight  months  and  will  continue  to  do  so  until  the 
child  has  reached  the  twelfth  month,  when  other  food  can  be  given  in 
addition.  My  experience  has  been  so  satisfactory  in  using  goats'  milk  that 
I  want  to  recommend  it  generally  to  the  medical  profession. 

CHAS.  E.  IDE,  M.  D. 

In  Dr.  Eustace  Smith's  well  known  work  on  "The  Wasting  Diseases  of 
Infants  and  Children,"  we  read:  "With  some  children,  in  spite  of  all  pos- 
sible precautions,  cows'  milk,  however  carefully  it  may  be  prepared  and 
administered  cannot  be  digested  *  *  *  In  such  cases,  if  there  are  objec- 
tions to  a  wet  nurse,  recourse  must  be  had  to  milk  of  some  other  animal, 
and  preference  should  be  given  to  a  milk  which  contains  a  smaller  propor- 
tion of  casein  than  that  found  in  the  milk  of  the  cow,  such  as  goats'  milk." 

The  "British  Medical  Journal"  of  May  12,  1906,  quotes  with  approval 
the  following  extract  from  a  paper  read  by  Dr.  J.  Finley  Bell,  of  Engle- 
wood,  New  Jersey,  before  the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine,  in  which 
he  gave  reasons  for  recommending  the  more  extensive  use  of  goats'  milk 
in  the  feeding  of  infants:  "Dr.  Bell  reports  two  cases  of  wasting  infants 
in  whom  improvement  began  as  soon  as  they  were  put  upon  a  mixture  of 
goats'  milk  and  water  in  place  of  cows'  milk  modified  in  various  ways,  and 
suggests  that  the  fat  of  goats'  milk  being  fluid  at  a  point  below  the  normal 

10 


temperature  of  the  body,  may  interfere  less  with  gastric  secretion,  while 
it  is  not  less  digestible  by  the  pancreatic  juice.  Other  advantages  which 
he  claims  for  the  goat  are:  She  is  more  docile,  less  excitable,  not  subject 
to  tuberculosis  or  other  disease  in  this  climate.  Being  browsers  rather 
than  grazers,  they  will  thrive  when  cows  would  not;  and,  above  all,  she  is 
cleanly.  Her  excrement  is  solid  and  her  tail  short;  consequently  she  is  not 
covered  with  manure,  as  is  the  cow.  It  is  safe  to  assert  that  the  produc- 
tion of  cows'  milk  free  from  manure  bacteria  is  commercially  impossible. 
Not  so  with  the  goat;  she  can  be  easily  washed  (tubbed  if  necessary)  and 
aproned  for  milking." 

"I  am  quite  certain,"  writes  Dr.  Leer  of  the  Children's  Hospital,  Great 
Ormond  street,  London,  "that  if  a  hundred  children  were  fed  on  goats'  milk, 
and  compared  with  an  equal  number  of  corresponding  ages  (all  circum- 
stances being  similar)  who  were  fed  on  any  other  milk,  except  that  of  their 
mothers',  the  goats'  milk  choldren  would,  in  comparison  at  least  with  'those 
fed  o:?.  cows'  milk  have  an  advantage." 

A  fuller  explanation  by  Dr.  Demande,  director  of  the  sanitarium  at 
Haelbert,  Belgium,  which  was  read  at  the  First  Annual  Congress  for  the 
Improvement  of  the  Goat,  has  just  been  quoted  by  Mr.  Holmes  Pegler  in 
the  "Bazaar"  (a  journal  which  has  given  space  to  the  subject  of  goat-keep- 
ing every  week  for  many  years).  "It  is  not  only,"  says  the  doctor,  "that 
among  the  300,000  goats  of  Belgium  there  is  probably  not  one  affected 
with  tuberculosis,  while  among  the  cows  there  might  be  anything  between 
50  per  cent  and  75  per  cent  of  animals  suffering  or  showing  signs  of  this 
disease.  Goats'  milk  being  wholesome  and  beyond  suspicion,  there  is  no 
need  to  sterilize  it.  It  may  be  taken  raw,  still  palpitating  with  those  mys- 
terious forces  which  constitute  life,  whilst  cows'  milk,  which  needs  to  be 
boiled,  sterilized — killed,  in  fact — is  a -.congealed,  defunct  liquid.  D'Esch- 
ensch,  who  has  studied  comparatively  fresh  milk  and  sterilized  milk,  has 
shown  that  rnilk  is  not  merely  a  nutritive  liquid,  but  that  it  is  clear  that 
children  that  are  delicate  have  need  of  the  ferments  contained  in  raw  milk, 
and  are  quite  incapable  of  digesting  milk  rendered  inert  by  sterilization." 

The  Dr.  Demande  mentioned  has  reported  a  number  of  cases  that  have 
come  under  his  personal  observation,  in  which  children  who  seemed  doomed 
to  an  early  death  while  being  fed  on  cows'  milk  grew  up  strong  and  healthy 
by  the  use  of  goats'  milk. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  go  outside  of  one's  neighborhood  to  learn  of 
many  cases  of  mal-nutrition.  A  recent  case  coming  under  the  writer's 
observation  is  typical.  A  four  months  old  baby  could  not  keep  cow's  milk, 
modified  cows'  milk  or  any  of  the  commercial  baby  foods  on  its  stomach. 
It  became  very  weak  and  its  life  was  dispaired  of.  As  a  last  resort  it 
was  sent  to  a  baby  hospital  where  a  wet  nurse  was  available  but  the  baby 
continued  to  fail  and  after  the  baby  had  lost  six  ounces  in  weight  it  was 
sent  home  as  hopeless. 

The  original  doctor  gave  the  case  up.  Another  doctor  recommended 
trying  goats'  milk.  A  very  limited  amount  of  goats'  milk  was  obtained, 
and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  baby  retained  it,  although  it  was  fed 
without  diluting  or  modifying.  In  two  days  it  had  gained  two  ounces  and 
in  five  days,  five  ounces.  The  baby  has  now  gained  a  pound.  An  attempt 

11 


was  made  to  change  to  cows'  milk,  because  the  available  supply  of  goats' 
milk  was  insufficient,  but  the  baby  could  not  retain  it. 

The  color  of  goats'  milk  is  nearly  always  pure  white  when  a  doe  is 
"fresh"  or  has  recently  kidded.  There  are  rare  instances  when  the  milk 
is  tinged  slightly  with  a  yellow  color. 


ECONOMY  OF  KEEPING  MILCH  GOATS 

THAT  goats'  milk  can  be  produced  at  much  less  cost  than  that  of  cows' 
milk  is  a  great  factor  in  favor  of  the  milch  goat.  It  has  been  thor- 
oughly demonstrated  that  for  the  same  amount  of  feed  that  one 
cow  would  require,  eight  milking  goats  can  be  kept.  These  eight  goats 
will  give  more  good  rich  milk  than  any  two  average  cows,  that  is,  the 
average  dairy  goat  will  give  about  two  quarts  a  day,  so  the  eight  goats 
will  give  sixteen  quarts  of  milk  equal  in  richness  to  that  of  thirty-two 
quarts  of  cows'  milk.  The  reader  may  easily  draw  a  comparison  between 
the  profits  of  the  milch  goat  and  that  of  the  cow  as  butter  fat  producers 
by  multiplying  the  yields  of  one  goat  by  eight.  As  a  rule  six  to  eight 
goats  may  be  kept  in  very  good  milk  producing  condition  on  the  same 
amount  and  the  same  kind  of  feed  required  to  keep  one  cow. 

Milch  goats  do  not  require  an  expensive  stable  or  large  pastures  as  is 
required  by  the  cow.  They  may  be  sheltered  in  most  any  kind  of  a  build- 
ing or  shed  that  might  be  available.  It  is  not  necessary  to  live  on  a  farm 
in  order  to  engage  in  breeding,  raising  or  conducting  a  milch  goat  dairy, 
as  these  animals  are  contented  with  a  small  yard  when  given  plenty  of 
dry  shelter,  feed  and  kind  treatment  and  adapt  themselves  as  well  to  city 
life  as  when  roaming  over  large  pastures.  This  enables  the  goat  dairy- 
man to  produce  the  milk  near  to  the  market.  If  a  person  has  only  a  back 
yard  on  a  city  lot,  enough  food  can  usually  be  procured  on  this  amount  of 
ground  to  keep  two  or  three  goats  almost  the  year  round.  Their  food  con- 
sists of  almost  everything  in  the  vegetable  kingdom.  They  prefer  a  large 
variety  of  vegetation,  consisting  of  browse,  weeds,  and  all  grasses. 

This  preference  to  a  varied  diet  gives  the  milch  goat  a  great  advan- 
tage over  most  any  other  domestic  animal  as  regards  economy,  as  weeds, 
grass  and  shrubbery  can  most  always  be  found  about  the  average  city 
residence  and  upon  the  farm  and  can  not  be  used  in  any  other  way,  but 
would  be  otherwise  destroyed;  even  leaves  that  fall  from  the  trees  are 
eagerly  sought  after.  They  prefer  most  kinds  of  weeds  to  grass  when 
they  can  have  their  choice,  and  when  snipping  off  the  grass  they  will 
always  take  the  tallest  and  coarsest .  first.  Thus  it  can  be  seen  that  milch 
goats  are  a  good  destroyer  of  weeds,  and  objectionable  grasses.  Of  course 
an  entire  diet  of  rank  herbage  would  be  likely  to  give  the  milk  and  unpleasant 
taste  just  as  it  would  cows'  milk  if  the  cows  were  to  eat  such  vegetation, 
but  for  stock  not  milking,  let  them  eat  what  they  will. 

Hoffman,  in  his  book  on  the  goat,  says  that  75  per  cent  of  the  house- 
holds in  Germany  are  now  keeping  milch  goats  and  is  not  confined  alto- 
gether to  the  poorer  classes,  but  the  prosperous  middle  classes  consider  the 
milch  goat  of  great  value  to  them  in  furnishing  good  nutritious  milk. 

12 


The  possibility  of  procuring  a  milch  goat  at  reasonable  prices  in  our 
country  will,  in  years  to  come,  be  an  easy  matter  and  their  low  cost  com- 
pared to  that  of  a  cow  will  be  within  the  reach  of  the  poorest  families. 
The  milch  goat  gives  considerable  more  milk  in  proportion  to  its  body 
weight  than  the  cow,  and  also  utilizes  its  feed  to  much  better  advantage. 
It  is  satisfied  with  little  feed  and  with  feed  that  could  not  be  utilized  by 
other  animals  (provided  it  is  not  musty  or  soiled),  which  is  to  be  had  at 
much  less  cost  than  feed  required  by  the  cow.  By  keeping  two  goats 
instead  of  one  cow,  the  family  may  be  provided  during  the  entire  year 
with  milk,  with  the  proper  regulation  of  the  birth  of  the  kids. 

"As  to  the  question  of  human  nourishment,  the  goat  occupies  an  im- 
portant position.  It  yields  a  wholesome  nourishment  for  the  family,  serves 
as  a  useful  and  agreeable  occupation  for  wife  and  children,  and  awakens 
in  its  owner  a  desire  for  industry  and  a  spirit  of  frugality.  So  long  as  the 
workingman  is  happy  in  the  possession  of  a  business,  has  a  small  bit  of 
ground  to  call  his  own,  and  a  profitable  domestic  animal,  just  so  long  will 
he  be  an  opponent  of  social  strife;  a  careful  provider  for  his  family,  and 
an  adherent  of  some  recognized  creed." — Hilpert. 

"In  Saxony  the  goat  plays  an  important  role  as  the  source  of  the  milk 
of  the  household;  likewise  that  the  homes  that  are  here  under  consideration 
belong  to  that  class  of  people  who  are  without  much  means.  Especially  in 
the  industrial  districts  of  the  mountains,  with  a  preponderance  of  the  smaller 
manufactories,  the  goat  is  the  supporter  of  the  family — in  a  broad  sense, 
of  the  people  among  which  it  finds  its  manifold  uses.  In  this  way  it  comes 
about  that  goats'  milk  is  such  a  universally  established  food  material,  and 
one  of  which  the  people  have  become  so  fond,  that  they  will  pay  the  same 
price,  (or  in  many  places  even  a  pfenning  higher  price),  for  it  than  for 
cows'  milk,  which  latter  serves  to  help  out  when  there  is  a  scarcity  of 
goats'  milk.  The  reason  for  this  may  be  found  in  the  higher  nutritive 
value  of  goats'  milk,  and  the  assertion  is  often  made  here  that  anyone 
who  has  become  accustomed  to  the  use  of  goats'  milk  for  coffee  feels  it  a 
degradation  if  he  is  compelled  to  be  content  with  cows'  milk  in  its  stead, 
which  is  not  so  pleasant  to  the  taste  and  is  poorer  in  fat  than  goats'  milk. 
But  the  goat  is  beginning  to  rise  in  prominence  and  gain  in  numbers  in 
highly  developed  thickly  settled  districts  where  the  people  are  more  pros- 
perous."— Dettweiler. 


COMPOSITION  AND  FLAVOR  OF  GOATS'  MILK 

THE  ingredients  and  analysis  of  goats'  milk  vary  with  the  different 
time  of  day  when  milk  is  drawn,  by  the  particular  part  of  the  milk — 
whether  the  first  or  the  last  part  drawn — and  other  minor  causes. 
In  order  to  determine  the  percentages  of  fat  in  goats'  milk  as  they 
appear  in  the  various  milkings  in  the  morning,  at  noon  and  night,  District 
Veterinary  Dr.  Loer  in  Weimar,  made  far  reaching  experiments  and  found, 
that  the  fat  contents  are  the  largest  if  the  goat  is  often  milked.    A  goat 
that  is  milked  three  times  per  day  produces  a  richer  milk  than  the  one 
milked  but  twice  and  if  milked  four  times  per  day,  her  milk-fat  increases 

13 


from  six  to  eight  per  cent  over  the  percentage  if  milked  three  times.  In 
Denmark,  where  three  milkings  are  the  rule,  from  10  to  15  per  cent  more 
fat  is  obtained  than  can  be  had  in  two  milkings. 

Another  fact  was  established  in  discovering  that  the  last  milk  from 
one  milking  is  from  ten  to  twelve  times  as  rich  in  fat  as  the  milk  obtained 
during  the  beginning  of  the  act.  This  should  be  borne  in  mind  by  all  doing 
this  work,  as  a  clean  milking  out  is  absolutely  essential  to  get  all  the  fat. 
Dr.  Loer  also  discovered,  that  slow  milking  was  preferable  to  fast  milking, 
as  it  will,  if  persisted  in  for  months,  increase  the  quantity  of  the  milk. 

If  the  milk  of  a  goat  received  from  one  milking,  was  divided  into  three 
equal  parts  while  the  act  was  going  on,  it  was  found  that  the  fat  varied 
greatly  at  various  stages  of  milking,  but  that  the  last  one-third  of  the  milk 
was  always  the  richest  in  fat.  Here  is  one  of  his  results  in  tabular  form: 

Beginning  of  Milking 

P.C.          .  P.C. 

Fat 0.5  Fat 1.4 

Fat 1.1  Fat 1.3 

Fat . ..  2.8  Fat 0.7 

Middle  Third  of  Milking 

P.C.  P.C. 

Fat 3.1  Fat 2.6 

Fat 5.2  Fat 3.0 

Fat 3.0  Fat 2.6 

End  of  Milking 

P.C.  P.C. 

Fat 9.6  Fat 3.5 

Fat 7.2  Fat 4.7 

Fat 5.2  Fat 9.0 

An  analysis  of  goats'  milk  from  the  British  Goat  Society  with  an 
analysis  of  cows'  milk  for  comparison  is  shown  in  the  table  below.  It 
should  be  stated  that  the  cows'  milk  was  from  an  animal  which  was  a 
winner  at  a  dairy  show. 

Elements                                                 Goats'  Milk  Cows'  Milk 

Water 83.21%  87.56% 

Butter  Fat  7.30%  3.63% 

Casein  4.18% 

Milk   Sugar 4.10%  8.81% 

Ash  1.21% 


Total 100.     %  100.     % 

Another  comparison  in  which  women's,  goats'  and  cows'  milk  are  com- 
pared: 

Elements    ,                         Women's  Goats'  Cows' 

Fat  4.     %  4.6%  3.5  % 

Sugar 7.     %  4.3%  4.3  % 

Proteids    1.25%  7.  %  3.75% 

Salts    .- 0.20%  1.3%  0.7  % 

Water  87.55%  85.6%  87.75% 

Goats'  milk  not  only  contains  a  large  amount  of  butter  fat, .  but  the 
composition  of  the  butter  fat  is  such  as  to  furnish  a  highly  nutritious  food 
for  all  ages  and  classes  of  mankind.  It  is  said  to  contain  in  one  quart  of 

14 


goats'  milk  equivalent  nutriments  to  one  dozen  eggs,  or  one  and  one-fourth 
pound  of  the  best  beefsteak. 

The  flavor  of  goats'  milk  can  be  compared  to  that  of  the  very  best  cows' 
milk  when  properly  handled.  An  illustration  of  this  is  given  in  an  article 
taken  from  "The  Goat  Keeper,"  in  which  a  fussy  old  maid  who  could  smell 
or  taste  things  no  ordinary  human  could,  becomes  prejudiced  against  goats' 
milk. 


"A  GERMAN  LANGENSALZAER  MILCH  GOAT,"  by  Dettweiler, 
Bulletin  No.  68,  B.  A.  I.,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agri. 

"Sister  came  to  visit  me  again  but  I  decided  not  to  mention  the  fact 
that  I  didn't  have  to  buy  any  more  milk.  I  wanted  to  see  what  she  would 
do  when  I  offered  her  goats'  milk  without  telling  her  what  it  was.  I  set  goats' 
milk  custard  before  her,  goats'  milk  bread,  goats'  milk  cake,  and  plain  goats' 
milk,  for  her  tea.  Well,  the  first  thing  she  did  was  to  pour  the  milk  into 
her  cup  for  tea.  She  got  too  much  milk  in,  so  drank  out  some,  and  smacked 
her  lips  on  it,  then  poured  in  her  tea.  I  waited,  almost  breathless,  for  her 
to  make  a  face  and  declare  it  was  goats'  milk,  although  it  was  perfectly 
odorless,  just  creamy  milk.  She  never  said  a  word,  but  I  had  hard  work 
to  keep  from  screaming  with  laughter.  I  had  fooled  her.  If  I  could  her, 
I  could  anyone.  Well,  after  the  dinner  was  over,  I  told  her  I  was  getting 
almost  three  quarts  of  milk  from  one  goat.  'What,'  she  said,  'was  that 
goats'  milk  I  had?'  loud  enough  to  have  been  heard  one-eighth  of  a  mile 
away.  'Yes,'  said  I,  quietly,  although  I  was  what  they  call  'bursting  in- 
side,' 'everything  was  made  of  it.'  'Well,  I  would  never  have  known  the 
difference.'  And  she  heaved  a  sigh  as  though  exhausted." 

15 


DEMAND   FOR   GOATS'   MILK 

THE  American  people  are  beginning  to  comprehend  the  usefulness, 
economy  and  necessity  of  keeping  milch  goats  for  supplying  their 
households  with  rich,  delicious,  healthful  milk.  It  is  not  only  the 
medicinal  qualities  of  goats'  milk  that  is  creating  such  a  demand  for  it, 
it  possesses  all  the  qualities  that  could  be  desired  of  a  milk  for  culinary 
uses.  The  number  of  uses  are  so  many  that  there  can  not  help  being  a 
good  demand  for  it  in  nearly  every  part  of  the  United  States.  Of  course 
in  localities  where  the  country  is  thickly  settled,  and  especially  near  large 
cities,  the  demand  for  milk  of  any  kind  is  very  good,  and  here  is  where 
goats'  milk  is  particularly  in  demand  at  good  prices.  Generally  speaking 
goats'  milk  in  such  localities  brings  20  to  25  cents  a  quart,  while  in  more 
sparsely  settled  districts  of  our  country  it  sells  for  less.  Where  milk  is 
sold  a  better  price  can  always  be  gotten  for  goats'  milk  if  the  purchasers 
understand  that  they  are  getting  more  "quality"  for  their  money.  Near 
some  of  the  sanitariums  where  good  sized  flocks  are  kept  it  is  often  sold  for 
from  60  to  75  cents  a  gallon,  and  where  milk  from  certified  herds  is  sold,  in 
large  cities  it  brings  as  high  as  15  cents  for  a  half  pint  bottle,  and  25  cents 
for  a  pint  bottle.  These  prices  are  obtained  usually  where  the  milk  is  pre- 
scribed by  physicians. 

The  demand  for  this  milk  will  increase  as  the  people  become  better 
acquainted  with  its  superior  quality  over  that  of  cows'  milk. 


PERIOD  OF  LACTATION  AND  YIELD 

A  VERY  important  requisite  in  selecting  a  good  milch  goat,  is  to  choose 
one  having  a  long  period  of  lactation.  This  necessary  quality  in  a 
milch  goat  is  very  often  overlooked  by  buyers  who  are  not  fa- 
miliar with  the  important  merits  of  the  milch  goat,  take  it  for  granted  that 
one  yielding  a  large  quantity  of  milk  daily  is  the  best  milker,  without  con- 
sidering the  length  of  time  this  generous  yield  will  continue.  Well-bred 
goats  yield  a  larger  quantity  and  also  continue  the  flow  of  milk  for  a  much 
longer  time  than  the  more  common,  ill-kept  goats.  This  is  owing  to  the 
fact  that  they  have  been  bred  with  a  large  yield  and  a  long  period  of  lacta- 
tion as  one  of  the  leading  objects  in  view.  Among  all  breeds  there  are 
individuals  that  will  excel  in  this  particular,  a  fact  that  is  not  uncommon 
among  dairy  cows.  The  proper  kinds  of  feeds  supplied  with  regularity 
will  do  much  toward  lengthening  the  period  of  lactation,  and  those  accus- 
tomed to  handling  the  dairy  cow  know  how  necessary  it  is  that  the  milking 
be  done  with  regularity  if  a  full  and  constant  flow  is  to  be  maintained.  As 
a  rule  the  Swiss  and  Nubian  breeds  of  goats  have  the  longest  period  of 
lactation  of  any  breeds  of  goats  now  in  our  country,  which  will  vary  from 
seven  to  eight  months,  and  if  not  bred  the  period  will  often  extend  to  ten 
months  and  sometimes  longer.  Usually  the  second  month  after  a  doe  has 
become  pregnant  her  flow  of  milk  begins  to  diminish  and  will  gradually 
grow  less  until  the  fourth  month,  or  with  some  does  to  within  one  month 
from  kidding  time,  when  she  should  be  completely  dryed  off,  but  it  is  far 

16 


better  for  the  doe  if  she  is  dryed  off  two  months  before  she  is  expected  to 
drop  kids. 

It  is  often  necessary  to  milk  does  three  times  a  day  when  they  are  fresh, 
and  with  some  it  may  be  better  to  milk  them  that  often  for  several  months. 

Where  goats  have  been  handled  most  intelligently  in  Europe  for  family 
use,  the  plan  is  to  have  not  fewer  than  two  does  for  each  family.  One  of 
these  should  kid  in  the  springtime  and  maintain  a  milk  flow  for  not  less 
than  six  months,  while  the  other  should  be  so  managed  as  to  kid  six  months 
later  than  the  first  one  and  also  to  maintain  a  milk  flow  for  six  months. 
This  plan  provides  for  a  constant  supply  of  milk,  and  is  especially  desirable 
if  there  are  small  children  in  the  household — Bureau  of  Animal  Industry 
Bulletin  No.  68. 

About  the  first  question  a  person  will  ask  in  regard  to  a  milch  goat  is, 
"How  much  milk  will  she  give  ?"  They  might  just  as  well  ask,  "How  tall  will  a 
tree  grow?"  for  it  makes  lots  of  difference  what  kind  of  a  tree  it  is  and 
how  well  it  has  been  cared  for,  and  it  is  just  the  same  with  the  milch  goat. 
This  is,  if  course,  a  very  important  feature  of  the  industry  and  one  that 
varies  considerably  in  individuals  as  well  as  with  breeds.  It  is  surprising 
sometimes  the  amount  of  milk  a  good  milch  goat  will  give  in  comparison 
to  the  size  of  the  animal.  From  the  writer's  experience  along  this  line  it 
may  be  safe  to  say  that  the  average  dairy  goat  of  the  Swiss  and  Nubian 
breeds  will  give  from  two  to  four  quarts  a  day.  With  the  Spanish  and 
native  milch  goats  from  one  to  two  and  one-half  quarts  a  day,  yet  with 
some  individuals  much  more  is  given.  Some  of  the  three-quarter  and  seven- 
eighth  Swiss  and  Nubian  does  are  the  best  to  be  found  in  America.  Of 
course  such  individuals  have  had  the  guidance  of  an  experienced  breeder 
and  are  the  result  of  scientific  breeding.  Some  of  these  does  give  as  much 
as  five  quarts  a  day,  but  such  a  large  yield  is  unusual  and  such  an  animal 
is  very  valuable  and  it  is  a  hard  matter  to  induce  a  breeder  to  sell  such  a 
doe.  She  would  be  a  good  investment  on  $100.00.  Selling  her  milk  at  20 
cents  a  quart  would  be  an  income  of  $1.00  per  day,  with  feed  cost  of  only  a 
few  cents.  Then  her  kids,  if  sired  by  a  buck  of  equal  value,  would  be 
excellent  stock.  If  a  doe  yields  two  quarts  per  day  and  has  a  period  of 
lactation  of  from  six  to  seven  months  she  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  very  profit- 
able animal. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  good  stock  has  been  very  hard  to  secure  from 
the  leading  milch  goat  countries,  there  are  very  few  animals  in  our  country 
that  will  produce  the  quantity  that  is  claimed  for  them  by  the  German 
writers,  as  their  literature  is  full  of  instances  of  goats  that  yield  five  and 
six  quarts  per  day,  but  as  an  average  the  best  Swiss  goats  in  Switzerland 
and  Germany  produce  not  far  from  three  quarts  per  day.  It  is  stated  by 
German  writers  that  the  milch  goats  of  these  countries  yield  in  milk  from 
10  to  16  times  their  body  weight  annually.  With  the  cow  the  average 
weight  of  milk  produced  is  5  times  its  body  weight.  The  average  Swiss 
goats  will  weigh  in  the  neighborhood  of  66  pounds,  which  the  reader  can 
see  is  very  light  compared  to  the  cow.  Yet  in  its  form  the  milch  goat  ex- 
hibits the  complete  type  of  a  milk-producing  animal. 

"We  in  England  have  been  breeding  goats  now  for  nearly  fifty  years 
with  a  view  to  improve  the  strain  for  milk,  and  we  certainly  have  attained 

17 


a  wonderful  result  in  this  way  at  last,  with  17  Ibs.  8  ozs.  in  three  milkings, 
and  such  like  figures,  and  thus  at  a  show  where  we  all  know  goats  drop 
one-fourth  of  their  yield  compared  with  what  it  was  at  home.  We  have 
goats  that  have  nearly  touched  5  quarts  in  the  day,  recorded  by  weight 
and  under  observation  so  that  there  was  no  froth  or  imagination  or  fairy 
tales  about  it.  But  such  goats  have  been  produced  by  repeatedly  crossing 
and  re-crossing  with  the  best  imported  stock.  We  have  our  'Anglo- 
Nubians'  (a  term,  I  may  remark,  I  originated  some  36  years  ago  and  now 
universally  used),  our  Toggenburgs  and  our  'Swiss/  but  none  of  these  come 
up  to  the  combination  in  all  three  in  what  we  term  Anglo-Nubian-Swiss  and 
which  embody  the  good  points  of  these  principal  (with  us)  breeds. 

"I  have  no  doubt  but  that  your  American  goat,  when  it  is  produced,  in 
years  to  come,  will  equal,  if  it  does  not  surpass,  our  own  improved  speci- 
mens, but  it  will  take  many,  many  years  to  become  so  established  as  to  breed 
at  all  true  to  type  color. 

"We  in  England  shall  watch  your  movements  in  this  direction  with  the 
greatest  interest,  for  you  can  do  more  than  we  can,  inasmuch  as  your  gov- 
ernment is  more  reasonable  on  the  score  of  admitting  foreign  goats  into  the 
country  than  ours.  Our  Board  of  Agriculture  persistently  refuses  to  permit 
us  to  land  more  goats  from  abroad,  so  we  have  to  do  the  best  we  can  with 
such  stock  as  we  already  possess.  I  quite  believe,  therefore,  that  ere  long, 
with  your  goat  societies  to  give  impetus  to  the  movement,  you  will  obtain 
some  rare  milking  stocks,  but  I  do  hope  that  you  will  follow  us  in  this: 
that  you  will  give  no  credence  to  any  statements  as  to  extraordinary  yields 
that  have  not  been  proved  under  the  observation  of  judges  at  shows  where 
the  figures  obtained  may  be  regarded  as  authentic. 

"H.  S.  HOLMES  PEGLER, 
"Hon.  Sec.  British  Goat  Society,  Kingston  on  Thames." 


THE  MILKING   OPERATION 

SOME  people  might  imagine  that  the  operation  of  milking  a  goat  would 
be  a  "back-breaking"  task,  but  it  should  not  be  as  hard  as  milking  a 
cow,  since  it  is  possible  to  take  the  goat  anywhere  desired.  Before 
milking,  the  goat  about  to  be  milked  should  be  placed  upon  what  the  milk 
goat  dairymen  call  the  "milking  bench,"  which  consists  of  nothing  more 
than  a  platform  or  strong  box  about  18  or  20  inches  above  the  ground. 
It  is  a  very  easy  matter  to  entice  the  doe  to  mount  the  bench,  as  it  is 
customary  to  feed  a  little  grain  while  the  does  is  being  milked,  a  handful 
of  oats  or  corn,  in  a  pan  or  tin  cup  placed  on  the  milking  bench  will  be  all 
that  is  necessary  to  get  the  does  accustomed  to  come  to  the  bench  to  be 
milked.  The  operation  of  drawing  the  milk  is  a  very  easy  one,  since  the 
milker  can  either  stand  up  or  sit  on  a  stool  or  chair,  in  a  clean  place,  away 
from  flies  and  other  objectionable  features  that  confronts  the  person  that 
milk  cows,  yet  the  operating  of  the  udder  and  teats  is  in  no  essential  way 
different  to  that  of  milking  cows.  Sometimes  a  young  doe  will  object  to 
being  milked,  and  in  this  case  it  may  be  found  necessary  to  secure  the  doe 
by  the  head.  A  good  contrivance  often  used  is  called  a  guillotine  board, 

18 


which  consists  of  two  boards  with  half-round  notches,  which  when  placed 
together  fit  around  the  doe's  neck,  the  lower  board  is  fastened  securely, 
while  the  upper  one  may  be  fixed  to  lift  up  or  down,  so  as  to  admit  or 
release  the  doe.  Other  similar  methods  can  be  used  and  will  suggest  them- 
selves to  those  accustomed  to  milking  cows. 

Before  milking  the  two  teats  (the  milch  goat  has  but  two  teats)  and 
the  udder  should  be  washed  off  with  clean  water  and  dried  with  a  clean 
cloth,  also  strip  the  udder  a  few  times  from  above  downward.  The  person 
milking  should  see  that  the  hands  are  perfectly  clean  and  that  the  milk 
pail  has  been  properly  scalded  and  aired.  The  milking  should  under  no  cir- 
cumstances be  done  in  a  dirty  place  and  should  never  be  done  in  the  stalls 
or  in  the  barn  unless  a  separate  part  is  partitioned  off  for  the  milking 
bench.  The  buck  should  not  be  allowed  near  where  the  milking  is  done,  as 
his  odor, — which  is  peculiar  to  only  the  bucks  of  the  milch  goats, — is  apt 
to  be  absorbed  by  the  milk,  giving  it  an  unpleasant,  strong  taste. 

Regularity  in  milking  is  very  important,  and  when  does  are  "fresh"  it 
it  sometimes  necessary  to  milk  them  three  times  a  day,  for  if  allowed  to  go 
too  long  at  a  time,  the  udder  might  become  caked  and  the  flow  of  milk 
would  then  decrease  rapidly.  A  disregard  for  this  feature  will  sometimes 
prove  disastrous  to  a  good  milk-producing  doe. 

As  a  rule,  milch  goats  are  very  gentle  and  of  a  kind  disposition  when 
handled  and  cared  for  so  far  as  possible  by  the  same  person,  and  conduct 
themselves  with  extaordinary  willingness  toward  the  one  who  takes  their 
milk  in  the  matter  of  gratifying  the  whims  of  the  suckling  kids  or  of  the 
person  who  milks  them.  The  milking  should  be  done  with  regard  to  gentle- 
ness; if  abused,  they  don't  forget  it,  neither  do  they  forget  a  kindness 
shown  them.  The  strokes  and  tugs  should  be  performed  gently,  and  the 
milk  is  drawn  best  by  the  ordinary  stroke  directed  from  above  downward. 


LOCATION  OF  GOAT  DAIRIES 

GOAT  dairies,  without  a  doubt,  will  in  a  few  years  be  distributed  over 
nearly  all  parts  of  the  United  States.    Good  milk  is  an  article  of  diet 
wanted  in  nearly  every  home  in  our  country,  and  no  other  animal 
will  produce  so  good  a  quality  and  so  large  a  quantity  at  so  small  a  cost 
as  the  milch  goat. 

That  goats'  milk  is  a  very  valuable  medicinal  food  for  infants,  invalids, 
and  convalescents,  is  a  well  known  fact  published  by  our  best  medical 
practitioners.  The  cost  of  starting  a  small  milch  goat  dairy  need  not  be 
very  great  and  it  would  be  worth  the  while  of  our  physicians  to  lend  such 
an  enterprise  their  support.  Milch  goat  dairies  are  meeting  with  great 
success  wherever  established  in  the  towns  and  villages  of  all  Europe.  Why 
should  they  not  do  so  in  this  country?  Our  people  are  educated  and  know 
a  good  thing  when  they  see  it,  and  the  only  way  to^convince  people  of  the 
superior  merits  of  goats'  milk  is  for  them  to  try  it.  The  people  of  our 
country  want  the  best  of  everything,  and  the  richest,  purest,  and  healthiest 
milk  is  produced  only  by  milch  goats. 

A  few  milch  goats  can  be  kept  most  anywhere,  as  there  is  nothing  ob- 

19 


jectionable  to  their  presence  in  the  cities  as  would  be  in  the  keeping  of 
cows.  They  are  a  very  clean  animal  and  their  quarters  should  be  absolutely 
clean.  The  milch  goat  dairyman  can  carry  on  the  business  to  good  advant- 
age when  there  is  plenty  of  good  range  available,  especially  for  the  kids 
and  bucks,  but  exceptionally  profitable  dairies  may  be  conducted  on  small 
tracts  of  land  consisting  of  a  few  acres  of  tillable  land  and  some  rough  land, 
located  near  the  larger  cities  or  near  sanitariums  and  hospitals,  for 
wherever  there  are  sick  people  that  require  the  most  nutritious  of  all  food, 
groats'  milk  will  sell  at  a  fancy  price,  but  milch  goat  dairies  will  be  found 
profitable  anywhere  that  there  are  people  that  wish  good  milk  for  culinary 
and  domestic  purposes  as  well  as  for  medical  uses. 


PRODUCTS  OF  THE  GOAT  DAIRY 

THAT   the   products   of   goats'   milk   will  be   a   valuable   asset   to   our 
country  in  the  course  of  time,  there  seems  to  be  no  doubt  of,  but  for  a 
few  years  at  least  they  cannot  be  expected  to  attract  much  attention 
here  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  milk  in  itself  is  so  highly  prized  and  sought 
after.     In  the  old  countries  goats'  milk  is  used  very  extensively  in  the  pro- 
duction of  the  very  finest  cheese.     The  famous  Roquefort,  Ricotto,  Alten- 
burger,  Schweitzer  and  many  other  choice  brands  are  all  imported  from 
France  and  Switzerland,  and  goats'  milk  enters  almost  exclusively  into  the 
composition  of  these  choice  brands. 

On  an  estate  near  Lyons,  France,  12,000  milch  goats  are  kept  in  flocks 
of  from  40  to  60  for  the  purpose  of  fine  cheese  manufacture.  In  the  valleys 
of  Switzerland  and  Norway,  large  goat  dairies  are  in  operation  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  manufacturing  cheese.  To  some  extent  the  different  flavors  of 
the  various  brands  of  cheese  are  due  to  the  different  kinds  of  food  con- 
sumed by  the  goats,  which  create  a  marked  difference  in  the  taste  of  the 
milk.  In  some  localities  the  milk  of  ewes  and  cows  enter  into  the  composi- 
tion of  the  various  brands  of  cheese  to  create  the  different  flavors,  but  it 
is  conceded  by  the  best  authority  that  pure  goats'  milk  produces  a  superior 
quality  of  cheese. 

The  manufacture  of  cheese  from  goats'  milk  in  our  country  would  be 
quite  a  profitable  industry  in  itself  seems  an  assured  fact,  in  view  of  the 
great  enterprise  and  ingenuity  of  the  American  citizen  in  all  lines  of  busi- 
ness. It  may  easily  become  so  to  an  enlarged  extent  when  goats'  cheese 
made  in  America  shall  be  offered  in  our  markets. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  secret  that  the  French  have  in  the  making  of  their 
famous  French  confectionery  that  seems  impossible  to  duplicate  in  this 
country,  is  the  fact  that  goats'  milk  enters  into  the  manufacture  of  the  candy. 
The  making  of  butter  from  goats'  milk  has  as  yet  not  proven  a 
thorough  success,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  cream  rises  upon  the  milk  very 
slowly  because  of  the  minuteness  of  the  fat  globules,  and  therefore  in 
order  to  secure  practically  all  the  cream  the  milk  is  permitted  to  'stand  until 
it  becomes  thoroughly  soured,  consequently  the  long  period  of  setting  in- 
juries the  quality  and  flavor  of  the  butter.  It  is  possible  that  American 
ingenuity  will  overcome  this  difficulty  through  the  agency  of  a  modern 
cream  separator. 

20 


•  W 


3 


American  Milch  Gorts  Showing  Various  Markirgs  and  Types 


A  Herr  Beil  in  Coelbe,  Germany,  who  experimented  for  many  years  in 
goat  butter  production  for  his  own  household,  relates  in  "Der  Ziegenzuchter" 
as  follows: 

"We  keep  three  goats  which  give  us  annually  2,400  quarts  of  milk.  We 
milk  them  three  times  daily  and  use  a  small  cream  separator  twice  a  day. 
The  noon  milk  is  kept  till  after  the  night  milking  in  a  cold  cellar  and  re- 
heated a  bloodheat,  when  it  is  together  with  the  evening  milk  run  through 
the  separator.  The  cream  thus  gained  we  keep  for  one  week  in  the  cellar 
where  it  sours  nicely.  As  soon  as  we  have  sufficient  cream  on  hand  and  of 
the  right  quality  we  begin  butter  making.  Of  course  pure  goat  butter  is 
white,  and  in  order  to  give  it  color,  we  use  for  two  quarts  of  cream  our 
coloring  matter  made  as  follows:  One  tablespoonful  of  a  yellow  carrot, 
finely  shaved,  placed  in  a  small  pot,  over  which  we  pour  boiling  milk,  left 
to  stand  fifteen  minutes,  then  poured  through  a  cheesecloth.  This  will  give 
an  excellent  and  rich  color  to  the  milk  and  it  has  the  advantage  of  being 
wholesome  and  very  tasty  in  the  butter.  The  butter  is  made  just  as  with 
cows'  milk. 

"The  remaining  buttermilk,  unless  used  up  as  a  drink,  can  be  made  into 
a  very  appetizing  cottage  cheese  or  it  may  be  thickened  and  formed  into 
the  so-called  handcheese.  Caraway  seeds  added  to  the  handcheese  give  it 
an  excellent  flavor.  The  skimmed  milk,  especially  if  not  too  strongly 
skimmed,  can  still  be  used  as  an  addition  to  coffee  or  be  used  in  the 
kitchen  generally." 

There  are  now  several  condensed  milk  factories  using  goats'  milk,  which 
is  condensed  and  sold  for  infant  feeding.  Many  thousands  of  infants  are 
compelled  to  live  during  their  first  few  months  on  condensed  cows'  milk,  and 
it  is  not  the  best  food  for  their  stomachs. 

The  whey  of  goats'  milk  is  highly  recommended  by  foreign  authorities 
for  its  nourishing  and  medicinal  properties.  Zurn  says  it  is  recommended 
especially  for  diseases  of  the  lungs  and  for  anemic  persons  suffering  from 
innutrition.  Thus  it  is  seen  that  not  only  goats'  milk  but  its  products  are 
very  valuable  as  food  and  medicine  to  mankind. 


HARDINESS  OF  THE  MILK  GOAT 

THE  hardiness  and  healthfulness  of  the  goat  might  be  ascribed  largely 
to  the  great  amount  of  exercise  and  fresh  air  that  it  gets  in  gathering 
its  food,  and  the  large  variety  of  food  it  secures  in  this  wandering 
about.  The  goat  chooses  the  high  land  when  it  has  its  preference,  where  the 
air  is  generally  pure  and  good,  and  the  freedom  of  the  goat  from  disease 
is  consequent  from  the  above  conditions.  But  it  cannot  maintain  this  de- 
gree of  hardiness  without  a  sufficient  amount  of  exercise,  fresh  air  and  its 
choice  of  a  varied  diet.  While  the  milch  goat  is  a  hardy  animal,  it  must  be 
understood  that  the  best  results  cannot  be  obtained  without  a  certain  degree 
of  care  and  protection.  It  should  be  provided  with  good  shelter,  easy  of  ac- 
cess at  all  times  from  storms  and  extreme  heat  or  cold.  These  requirements 
are  necessary  in  the  rearing  of  the  young  kids  and  in  obtaining  from  the 
does  a  large  and  constant  flow  of  milk.  In  fact,  the  same  amount  of  protec- 

22 


tion  should  be  given  the  milch  goat  as  is  customary  in  well  kept  cow  dairies. 

The  goat  has  been  given  too  much  credit  as  to  being  able  to  thrive  upon 
"any  old  thing."  Its  playfulness  in  removing  labels  from  tin  cans,  pulling 
clothes  from  a  line  and  many  such  pranks  has  led  some  people  to  believe 
that  it  really  eats  such  things,  but  any  person  accustomed  to  its  habits  will 
readily  see  that  it  eats  nothing  but  the  cleanest  of  food,  refusing  anything 
that  is  soiled  in  the  least.  The  hardiness  of  this  animal  must  not  be  over- 
drawn, but  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  milch  goat  will  thrive  and  be  very 
profitable  to  its  owner  on  far  less  expensive  feed  and  be  contented  with  less 
care  than  any  other  farm  animal. 

There  are  very  few  diseases  that .  effect  goats  of  any  kind.  Possibly 
the  disease  that  gives  the  most  trouble  is  called  Malta  fever,  which  occurs 
in  the  tropical  and  sub-tropical  climates.  The  following  extract  on  Malta 
fever  is  from  a  lecture  by  Dr.  J.  W.  H.  Eyre,  bacteriologist  to  Guy's  hos- 
pital, England,  delivered  in  March,  1909,  before  the  Royal  College  of  Physi- 
cians of  London.  This  lecture  is  copied  from  "The  Book  of  the  Goat,"  by 
H.  S.  Holmes  Pegler,  honorable  secretary  of  British  Goat  Society. 

Dr.  Eyre  is  of  the  opinion  that  "Melitensis  septicoemia  (Malta  fever) 
is  primarily  a  disease  of  the  goat  which  had  its  origin  in  the  Persian  hills 
(the  Persian  wild  goat,  Capra  oegagnus)  and  which  accompanied  that  goat 
on  its  world-wide  wanderings,  remaining  potentially  active  for  man  so  long 
as  its  host  preserved  its  original  habits  in  barren  rocky  countries  in  the 
tropics  and  subtropics,  where  pasturage  is  of  the  scantiest,  and  consists 
chiefly  of  shrubs  and  weeds.  When,  however,  the  goat  reaches  those  tem- 
perate climes  and  abundant  pasturage  which  are  so  pre-eminently  suitable 
for  the  propagation  of  the  cow  and  promiscuous  inbreeding  is  entirely 
avoided,  the  micrococcus  no  longer  finds  -a  suitable  habitat  in  the  caprine 
mammary  glands,  and  rapidly  disappears." 

Dr.  Eyre  further  states  that  no  case  is  on  record  of  any  person  having 
been  attacked  by  this  disease  from  drinking  the  milk  of  goats  in  England. 

From  the  foregoing  it  must  be  argued  that  there  can  be  no  danger  what- 
soever from  drinking  milk  from  Swiss  breeds  of  goats  if  the  goats  are 
given  proper  care  the  same  as  would  be  given  to  milch  cows,  for  the  dis- 
ease of  Malta  fever  is  essentially  a  disorder  found  only  among  goats  im- 
ported from  a  tropic  or  subtropic  country  where  conditions  are  such  that 
feed  is  exceedingly  scarce,  and  where  no  attention  is  given  to  the  proper 
care  or  breeding  of  the  goats. 

Malta  fever  is  not  found  among  the  Swiss  breeds  of  goats,  nor  in  those 
latitudes  of  Europe  where  the  temperature  drops  below  the  degree  of  frost. 
— California  Cultivator. 


MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  GOAT  DAIRY 

IN  speaking  of  a  goat  dairy,  the  goats  themselves  are  of  course  the  most 
important  feature,  but  next  to  them,  a  modern  goat  barn  is  a  necessity 
in  the  operation  of  a  good  milch  goat  dairy,  but  is  not  necessarily  an 
expensive  structure.     It  should  be  convenient,  well  lighted  and  ventilated 
and  its  dimensions  can  be  regulated  by  the  size  of  the  flock.     The  milch 

23 


goat  dislikes  rain  or  mud  and  will  avoid  contact  with  either  when  it  can. 
Everyone  knows  that  cows  do  not  give  the  best  results  in  milk  when  exposed 
to  all  sorts  of  weather,  and  the  same  principle  applies  to  the  milch  goat, 
which  is  a  far  more  sensible  and  intelligent  animal,  and  absolutely  refuses 
to  content  itself  with  unclean  conditions  when  it  is  avoidable.  It  is  then 
best  in  arranging  the  goat  barn  to  provide  one  that  can  be  easily  kept  in  a 
clean  and  sanitary  condition.  The  matter  of  ventilation  is  of  prime  im- 
portance since  the  goat  suffers  when  it  is  deprived  of  an  abundance  of  fresh 
air;  there  should  be  windows,  allowing  plenty  of  light  and  sunshine  to 
enter  the  building,  as  goats  dislike  a  dark  building. 


PL/IN 

"PLAN  OF  GOAT  HOUSE" 
From  Hook,  Bulletin  No.  68,  B.  A.  I.,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agri. 


An  ideal  goat  barn  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  cut  taken  from 
Bryan-Hook,  which  the  writer  considers  very  satisfactory  for  a  small  goat 
dairy  accommodating  from  8  to  10  does.  Of  course  it  can  be  made  larger 
to  accommodate  as  many  goats  as  desired.  The  dimensions  can  be  10x12 

24 


or  12x12,  and  the  building  can  be  made  of  any  material  that  ordinary  farm 
buildings  are  made  of.  If  possible  the  floor  should  be  of  cement,  sloping 
from  the  head  of  the  stable  to  a  gutter  in  the  center  of  the  building.  The 
gutter  can  be  sloped  to  one  end  of  the  building  and  empty  into  a  tank  on 
the  outside  if  the  owner  wishes  to  save  the  manure,  which  is  a  very  valuable 
fertilizer.  With  an  old  broom  the  barn  may  be  easily  kept  in  a  clean 
condition. 


"STALLS  FOR  GOAT  HOUSES" 
From  Hook,  Bulletin  No.  68,  B.  A.  I.,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agri. 


The  stalls  are  usually  made  from  18  to  24  inches  wide  and  each  one 
should  be  provided  with  a  low  portable  floor  made  of  narrow  pieces  of  lum- 
ber with  a  small  space  between  the  pieces  to  allow  the  liquid  manure  to 
pass  through.  This  floor  should  project  beyond  the  sides  of  the  stall  far 
enough  to  allow  the  does  room  enough  to  stand  upon  it.  The  stalls  should 
be  provided  with  a  foot-board  with  a  rack  above  for  feed.  This  rack  is 
almost  indispensible  in  feeding  milch  goats.  The  hay  in  it  is  easy  of 
access  and  not  so  much  of  it  will  be  spoiled  by  the  goat  getting  it  under 
her  feet,  for  a  goat  will  not  eat  feed  that  has  been  trampled  upon.  The 
rack  can  be  made  of  %  or  %  inch  iron  bars  or  a  piece  of  heavy  wire 
fencing.  The  foot  boards  should  be  12  or  14  inches  wide.  A  hole  should 
be  cut  in  this  board  to  place  a  bucket  or  similar  vessel  from  which  to  feed 
grain  or  vegetables  from.  The  foot-board  should  be  strong,  as  the  doe 
will  use  it  to  place  her  feet  upon  in  reaching  for  feed  in  the  rack  above. 
This  is  a  natural  position  the  goat  prefers  in  securing  its  feed.  It  is  an 

25 


easy  matter  to  feed  into  the  racks  from  above,  if  there  is  a  loft  to  the 
barn.  The  does  are  fastened  with  a  short  chain  through  a  hole  in  the  foot- 
board, the  chain  connecting  with  a  snap  to  a  ring  placed  in  the  collar,  which 
the  doe  always  wears.  Each  animal  should  always  be  fed  in  its  own  in- 
dividual stall,  because  if  they  are  fed  together  they  are  apt  to  injure  each 
other  and  some  will  predominate  over  others,  causing  the  weaker  to  lose 
their  share  of  the  feed. 

The  loose  boxes  are  arranged  for  the  young  kids  and  does  that  are 
soon  to  kid,  as  at  that  time  each  doe  should  be  by  herself. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  milking  bench  on  the  outside  of  the  barn. 
This  bench  can  be  placed  under  cover  by  making  a  sort  of  lean-to  off  from 
the  barn,  or  .the  milking  can  be  done  in  a  nearby  building.  It  is  always 
best  to  do  the  milking  away  from  the  stalls  and  other  goats. 

In  connection  with  the  barn  a  good  yard  should  be  provided,  or  if  the 
dairy  is  in  the  country,  a  good  pasture,  where  the  goats  may  get  air  and 
exercise.  If  there  is  a  platform  or  some  boxes  in  the  yard  the  goats  will 
find  them  a  source  of  pleasure,  as  they  prefer  to  lie  upon  something  high 
and  dry.  A  doe  will  go  directly  to  her  own  stall  at  feeding  time  where  it 
can  eat  in  peace,  and  at  the  same  time  get  all  the  feed  that  is  due  and  no 
more.  The  comfort  of  a  goat  cannot  be  added  to  by  giving  her  bedding  in 
the  stall  f<^  she  will  paw  it  away.  For  the  purpose  of  absorbing  the  liquid 
manure  that  does  not  pass  below  the  slatted  platform,  chaff  or  saw  dust 
might  be  used,  but  they  are  probably  more  bother  than  a  benefit. 


i 


FENCES  FOR  MILCH  GOATS 

N  building  a  fence  to  retain  goats  it  should  be  so  constructed  that  it  will 

not  only  keep  the  goats  in,  but  also  keep  their  enemies  out,  such  as 

dogs  and  wolves. 

Woven  wire  is  one  of  the  very  best  fences,  especially  if  the  meshes  are 
not  too  far  apart  near  the  bottom,  as  goats  with  horns  will  become  fast  if 
they  can  get  their  heads  through.  A  woven  wire  fence  that  is  three  feet 
high  with  one  strand  of  barbed  wire  on  top  makes  a  very  good  fence  for 
goats,  or  if  made  of  barbed  wire  entirely  ten  strands  with  posts  set  18  to  20 
feet  apart  and  having  three  stays  between  is  a  good  one.  The  lowest  wire 
should  be  one  inch  from  the  ground,  the  next  four  or  five  wires  S1/^  inches 
apart,  and  each  strand  higher  up  can  be  spaced  Vz  inch,  more  gradually 
making  the  strands  farther  apart. 

Sloping  rails  and  boards  should  not  be  placed  about  the  fence,  as  a 
goat  can  climb  such  objects,  and  if  one  leads  the  rest  are  sure  to  follow, 
and  it  can  be  depended  upon  that  they  won't  forget  where  it  is.  The  fence 
should  be  tight  close  to  the  ground,  as  they  are  crawlers  as  well  as  climbers, 
and  it  often  astonishes  people  by  its  success  in  crawling  through  small 
openings.  Such  places  would  allow  entrance  for  dogs  which  sometimes 
worry  the  kids  and  should  never  be  allowed  in  the  goat  yards. 

26 


BREEDING  AND  MANAGEMENT 

IN  the  breeding  of  milch  goats,  as  with  any  other  breed  of  domestic  ani- 
mals, it  is  very  essential  that  the  best  buck  possible  should  be  employed. 

There  is  nothing  so  important  in  breeding  up  good  stock  as  positive 
evidence  that  the  buck  is  from  a  strain  of  stock  having  well  known  milking 
records  of  amount  of  milk  given  by  the  dam,  granddams,  and  other  female 
relatives  of  the  buck  should  be  known  and  are  valuable  facts.  Never  breed 
your  does  to  a  poor  buck.  He  is  absolutely  the  foundation  of  the  flock  and 
the  best  is  never  "too  good." 

The  bucks  of  all  breeds  of  milch  goats  are  in  heat  at  all  times  and  the 
does  come  in  heat  about  every  three  weeks,  excepting  possibly  the  extreme 
hot  weather  of  July  and  August.  To  prevent  the  kids  coming  at  undesirable 
times  the  bucks  should  never  be  allowed  to  run  with  the  does.  It  is  neces- 
sary that  breeding  be  done  according  to  a  schedule,  so  that  a  supply  of 
milk  might  be  had  when  wanted,  either  for  family  or  dairy  uses.  One  good 
buck,  if  properly  managed,  will  look  after  as  many  as  50  or  75  does  in  a 
year,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  does  should  not  be  bred  oftener 
than  every  7  or  8  months.  If  bred  oftener  too  much  strain  is  placed  upon 
the  does  and  the  best  results  cannot  be  expected  by  the  practice. 

The  presence  of  the  buck  about  the  barn  where  does  are  kept  is  very 
objectionable.  The  odor  which  he  emits  is  readily  absorbed  by  the  milk  and 
is  the  principle  source  of  bad  flavored  milk.  His  place  is  in  a  separate 
barn  and  separate  yard  altogether.  The  odor  emitted  by  the  bucks  is  due 
to  certain  glands  in  the  skin  of  the  animal  which  secrete  capric  acid  or 
hircine. 

At  the  time  of  the  terrible  epizootic  epidemic  among  horses  in  the 
eighties,  when  large  numbers  of  horses  died,  it  was  claimed  that  the  stables 
in  Boston  which  had  male  goats  were  free,  or  nearly  so,  from  the  plague's 
ravages,  and  the  presence  of  the  goats  is  given  credit  for  it.  Some  of  these 
stables  keep  goats  today.  It  is  an  old  English  idea. 

The  Does — To  a  certain  degree  the  same  characteristics  required  in  the 
buck  should  be  present  in  the  doe.  She  should  be  from  as  good  milking  stock 
as  can  be  secured,  but  if  she  should  be  only  a  fair  milker,  the  offsprings 
might  become  better  if  the  buck  is  a  superior  animal.  Thus  it  is  possible  to 
"breed  up"  if  only  the  best  bucks  are  used. 

In  order  that  a  constant  supply  of  milk  may  be  maintained  the  does 
should  be  bred  so  as  to  drop  kids  at  regular  intervals,  both  summer  and 
winter.  This  is  quite  an  advantage  in  milch  goat  dairying  as  with  the  house- 
hold. Two  or  three  goats  properly  managed,  will  furnish  a  bountiful  supply 
of  excellent  milk  the  year  round  for  an  average  family. 

The  Kids — Owing  to  the  high  price  of  goats'  milk,  it  is  often  custo- 
mary to  raise  the  kids  on  cows'  milk,  which  is  a  very  easy  matter  to  do.  An 
ordinary  nursing  bottle  is  very  good  to  use  until  the  kids  learn  to  drink. 
Care  should  be  exercised  to  see  that  the  bottle  and  the  milk  is  always  sweet 
and  clean. 

An  excellent  substitute  for  milk  is  to  be  had  in  "Blatchford's  Lamb 
Meal."  (See  the  advertisement  in  the  back  of  this  book).  This  meal  is  very 
easy  to  prepare,  can  be  fixed  with  either  water  or  skim-milk.  Kids  and 

27 


lambs  do  well  on  it.  This  Company  also  makes  an  especially  prepared  meal 
that  is  a  perfect  milk  substitute  for  other  young  livestock,  such  as  calves, 
pigs,  etc. 

As  soon  as  the  kids  are  old  enough  to  eat  they  should  have  some  green 
feed  if  it  is  available.  Leaves,  weeds  or  grass  will  furnish  a  mixture  of 
diet  which  is  very  essential  for  goats  to  have  at  all  ages  of  life.  Grain  may 
be  fed  to  the  kids  if  a  scarcity  of  pasture  prevails.  Oats,  corn,  kafir  corn, 
and  in  fact  any  kind  of  grain  will  be  readily  consumed  but  exercise  judg- 
ment in  feeding  and  don't  feed  too  much  grain.  Weaning  is  done  when  the 
kids  are  from  two  and  one-half  to  three  months  old,  depending  upon  the 
season  of  the  year  in  which  they  are  born.  After  the  kids  are  two  to  three 
weeks  old  they  begin  rapidly  to  develop  a  hardy  nature,  but  prior  to  this 
time  they  are  a  very  delicate  animal.  Cold  rains  upon  them  is  almost  cer- 
tain death.  They  must  be  kept  dry  and  warm  and  well  nourished,  but  after 
they  are  three  weeks  old  they  are  as  hardy  as  any  domestic  animal. 


TIME  TO  BREED  AND  AGE 

LITTLE  further  need  be  said  regarding  the  times  of  breeding  since  the 
goat  dairyman  can  arrange  that  matter  to  suit  his  individual  purposes. 

Of  course  some  does  have  longer  periods  of  lactation  than  others,  which 
will  necessitate  the  dairyman  breeding  some  does  oftener  than  others.  Suf- 
ficient to  say,  the  milch  goat  can  be  bread  any  time  in  the  year,  excepting 
some  times  they  do  not  breed  in  the  very  warmest  weather,  but  this  is  only 
from  six  to  eight  weeks  as  a  rule. 

If  a  doe  is  bred  at  the  age  of  one  year,  she  will  drop  her  kids  five 
months  later,  which  is  considered  young  enough,  if  the  purpose  of  milk 
production  is  the  prime  factor.  A  buck  may  be  put  to  service  at  ten 
months  old,  but  it  is  better  to  wait  until  he  is  14  to  18  months  old.  Care 
must  be  exercised  not  to  allow  breeding  at  too  young  an  age,  which  is  apt 
to  occur  if  young  bucks  and  does  are  allowed  together  after  five  months 
old.  The  young  bucks  will  sometimes  serve  when  much  younger  than  this. 

No  other  animal,  perhaps,  develops  younger  than  a  goat  and  they  will 
often  breed  at  three  months.  Of  course  this  should  not  be  allowed.  Breed- 
ers differ  as  to  the  age  they  should  be  bred  first,  some  contending  they 
should  be  two  years  old,  others  from  ten  to  twelve  months.  A  doe  will  not 
do  her  best  until  the  third  kidding.  If  she  gives  one  and  one-half  quarts 
with  the  first  kid  she  will  usually  give  two  and  one-half  or  three  by  the 
time  of  the  third  kidding.  When  bred  at  an  age  before  the  bones  are  suf- 
ficiently hardened,  the  extra  weight  of  carrying  the  foetus  bends  down  the 
back  bone,  and  not  only  deforms  the  doe  permanently,  but  stops  her  growth. 
A  great  many  breeders  make  this  mistake.  In  the  judgment  of  the  writer 
a  doe  should  be  about  18  months  old  before  being  bred. 

The  period  of  gestation  in  milch  goats  is  five  months,  or  the  same  as 
with  sheep.  The  does  are  in  heat  about  every  three  weeks  and  the  period 
lasts  from  two  to  four  days,  depending  upon  the  season  of  the  year.  A  doe 
will  remain  in  heat  longer  in  the  fall  or  winter  than  any  other  time  of  the 
year. 

28 


NUMBER  OF  KIDS  BORN 

MILCH  goats  as  a  rule  drop  two  kids  at  a  birth,  but  occasionally  three 
are  dropped.  In  fact,  cases  where  three  are  dropped  are  more 
numerous  than  where  only  one  is  dropped. 

Instances  are  on  record  where  very  fine  milch  goats  have  dropped  as 
many  as  four  kids  at  one  time,  but  such  instances  are  rare. 

With  two  kids  at  a  birth  it  is  readily  seen  how  fast  a  flock  of  milch 
goats  will  increase  when  allowed  to  drop  kids  every  nine  months,  or  three 
times  in  two  years.  For  best  results  in  milking  qualities  it  is  not  considered 
best  to  allow  them  to  breed  oftener  than  this.  Usually  the  twins  consist  of 
one  male  and  one  female,  but  it  often  happens  that  there  are  two  males  or 
two  female  kids. 

Some  breeders  are  apt  to  believe  that  the  kids  will  take  care  of  a  doe's 
udder  and'  no  oversight  is  necessary,  especially  if  there  is  more  than  one 
kid.  This  might  be  all  right  with  a  doe  yielding  a  small  flow,  but  to  permit 
a  heavy  milking  doe  to  go  unmilked,  trusting  to  her  kids  to  properly  relieve 
her  udder,  is  gross  carelessness,  and  will  cause  irretrievable  injury.  Often 
young  kids  will  nurse  the  same  teat  and  not  touch  the  other  teat,  in  which 
case  that  side  of  the  udder  must  be  milked  clean  at  least  twice  a  day. 


FEED    FOR   MILCH    GOATS 

BY  actual  test  it  has  been  proven  that  eight  goats  will  subsist  upon  the 
same  amount  of  feed  required  for  one  cow,  and  at  the  same  time  yield 

a  good  flow  of  excellent  milk. 

The  same  kinds  of  feed  required  by^a  cow  are  usually  used,  but  it  is 
very  essential  that  the  milch  goat  be  given  a  larger  variety  of  feed  than 
that  which  the  cow  usually  gets. 

Milch  goats  have  the  same  ability  and  appetite  for  destroying  worthless 
brushwood  and  weeds  as  that  of  the  Angora  goats,  and  such  feed  may  be 
very  desirable  for  growing  animals,  but  for  milking  does,  a  sole  diet  of 
such  feed  would  be  very  likely  to  impart  an  unpleasant  taste  to  the  milk. 
The  milch-goat  is  a  single-purpose  animal  and  cannot  produce  good  milk 
and  at  the  same  time  destroy  brushwood  and  weeds  to  any  great  extent. 
In  the  summer  season  a  pasture  of  clover,  alfalfa,  meadow  grass  or  even 
crab  grass  are  excellent  milk  producing  feed,  and  if  such  pastures  are  com- 
paratively free  from  weeds  there  will  be  no  unpleasant  flavor  to  the  milk. 
It  is  where  does  make  weeds  and  brushwood  their  sole  diet  that  the  milk 
will  have  the  unpleasant  taste  that  is  often  spoken  of.  When  pasture  sea- 
son is  over,  the  best  results  from  milking  does  are  obtained  when  feeding 
is  done  in  the  barn.  Prairie  hay,  when  sweet  and  properly  cured,  is  an 
excellent  feed  and  more  so  if  it  is  made  up  of  considerable  slough  grass, 
which  the  goats  will  pick  out  first.  Many  Swiss  dairymen  mix  straw  with 
the  hay  which  is  a  good  plan,  as  the  more  variety  given  the  better  pleased 
are  the  goats.  Alfalfa  and  clover  hay  are  excellent;  indeed  very  little  grain 
will  be  required  when  either  of  these  are  provided.  Kane,  kafir  corn  and 
Indian  corn  fodder  are  very  good  feeds,  and  are  considered  very  economical 
feed  for  goats.  The  only  trouble  is  in  feeding  such  coarse  feeds  from  the 

29 


racks,  however,  the  writer  has  found  that  with  such  feeds  the  stalks  may 
be  broken  a  few  times  and  very  little  trouble  will  result.  When  fodder  is 
fed  that  contains  a  few  nubbins,  scarcely  any  additional  grain  is  required. 
In  feeding  grain  the  same  discretion  is  required  in  feeding  milch  goats  as 
in  feeding  cows.  It  should  be  the  right  kind  and  not  given  in  such  large 
quantities  as  to  produce  too  much  fat  rather  than  milk.  Bran  when 
moistened  with  a  little  salt  water  is  a  most  excellent  feed,  but  its  use  will 
depend  upon  its  cost.  The  amount  of  this  feed  per  day  should  not  be  more 
than  one-half  pound  for  each  animal.  Oats  and  kafir  corn  are  especially 
good  feed  for  does,  both  milking  and  those  that  are  dry.  From  one-half  to 
three-fourths  of  a  pint  per  day  will  be  a  good  feed.  Corn  is  also  excellent 
for  all  goats  and  not  over  three-fourths  of  a  pint  per  day  should  be  given. 


"MALTESE  MILCH  GOATS,"  by  Reeves, 
Bulletin  No.  68,  B.  A.  I.,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agri. 


In  feeding  grain  it  might  be  well  to  vary  the  feeds  by  giving  as  many 
kinds  of  grain  as  the  dairyman  can  secure  at  a  reasonable  cost.  The 
writer  considers  the  feeding  of  grain  very  necessary,  but  should  not  be 
given  in  large  quantities.  When  plenty  of  roughage,  such  as  hay,  cane,  or 
fodder  is  at  hand,  the  milking  does  need  not  be  fed  grain  oftener  than 
twice  a  day,  and  when  such  nutritious  feed  as  clover  or  alfalfa  is  fed,  not 
more  than  once  a  day  and  very  little  then. 

Meal,  oil  cake  and  linseed  cake,  are  highly  favored  when  fed  to  does 
before  delivery,  on  account  of  its  digestibility  and  ready  assimilation.  It 
also  stimulates  an  abundant  flow  of  milk. 

30 


"Blatchford's  Lamb  Meal,"  when  fed  to  does  just  before  the  delivery  of 
kids  and  also  after  kids  are  born,  is  excellent  for  conditioning  does  and  for 
increasing  their  milk  flow. 

Such  roots  as  parsnips,  potatoes,  carrots,  swedes,  mangolds,  and  espe- 
cially turnips,  are  an  excellent  feed.  They  must  be  clean  and  free  from  dirt 
or  decay.  Mangolds  should  not  be  fed  earlier  than  the  first  of  January,  as 
they  will  sometimes  produce  scours  if  fed  too  soon  after  pulling.  Clean 
and  fresh  refuse  from  the  kitchen,  such  as  potato,  apple  and  turnip  peel- 
ings, pumpkin  and  squash  rines,  cabbage  leaves  and  crusts  of  bread  are 
eagerly  eaten.  For  one  or  two  milch  goats  the  waste  from  a  moderate 
sized  garden  will  supply  the  greater  part  of  the  food.  In  thinning  out 
carrots,  beets,  turnips  or  suckers  from  sweet  corn  and  cabbage  that  did  not 
head,  the  lettuce  and  spinach  that  have  bolted,  lawn  and  hedge  clippings. 
In  fact  nearly  everything  that  is  clean  can  be  fed,  but  of  course  judgment 
should  be  exercised  in  feeding  to  does  that  are  giving  milk,  anything  that 
might  impart  an  unpleasant  taste  in  the  milk,  just  as  would  be  the  case 
with  a  dairy  cow.  It  must  be  understood  that  a  goat  will  eat  many  rank 
plants  that  a  cow  will  not. 

Little  is  necessary  to  say  in  regard  to  the  feeding  of  the  buck,  other 
than  that  he  should  have  plenty  of  rough  feed,  and  occasionally  a  small 
amount  of  grain,  especially  when  serving  a  large  number  of  does.  If  the 
dairyman  has  a  brush  or  weed  patch,  let  the  buck  reign  there. 

The  kids  should  have  some  grain  until  they  are  four  or  five  months 
old,  but  will  need  very  little  after  that  if  given  plenty  of  roughage,  until 
they  are  old  enough  to  deliver  kids. 

The  fact  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  if  satisfactory  results  are  to  be 
obtained  in  milch  goat  raising,  the  animals  must  receive  the  same  rational 
treatment  that  is  received  by  other  livestock  when  best  results  are  sought. 
The  milch  goat  is  a  hardy  animal  to  be  sure,  but  this  characteristic  only 
enables  it  to  respond  the  more  quickly  and  satisfactorily  to  careful  and 
judicious  treatment. 

Some  of  the  favorite  grasses  for  goats  are  sheeps'  fescue,  a  short,  fine 
grass  which  grows  in  a  tuft  at  its  roots  and  pushes  up  delicate  stems  rarely 
exceeding  a  foot  in  height.  Also  the  hard  fescue  and  the  red  fescue,  the 
meadow  foxtail,  the  wild  oat,  rye  grass,  and  especially  the  sweet  scented 
vernal  grass.  All  these  grasses  impart  a  fine  flavor  to  the  milk.  In  fact 
there  is  scarcely  any  grass  that  milch  goats  will  eat  that  will  in  any  way 
injure  the  flavor  of  the  milk. 

Raise  alfalfa  and  oats, 
Children  and  goats, 

"Assimilate  the  good." 


WATERING  AND  SALTING 

THE  milch  goat  might  be  termed  a  "crank"  in  the  matter  of  choosing 
its   drinking  water.     It  has   been   noted   where   animals   have   been 
nearly  famished  for  want  of  water,  when  a  supply  was  within  easy 
reach  but  had  become  slightly  polluted.    They  want  it  fresh  and  absolutely 
free  from  any  kind  of  filth.    Does  giving  milk  should  be  induced  to  drink 

31 


as  much  as  possible,  and  pure  water  should  be  easy  of  access  to  them  at 
all  times.    The  same  will  apply  to  the  bucks  and  kids. 

Besides  fresh,  clean  water,  a  perfectly  clean  pail  should  be  used.  A 
vessel  in  which  water  stands  almost  continuously  becomes  very  foul.  Sim- 
ply rinsing  with  water  is  not  sufficient.  Scalding  occasionally  with  borax, 
saleratus,  washing  soda,  or  in  a  bad  case  chloride  of  lime  is  necessary.  The 
latter  is  the  most  effective  agent  for  killing  the  yeast  plant  and  other 
slimes  which  cause  the  putrid  smell  of  stagnant  water.  Emptying  the  pail 
and  keeping  it  dried  out  most  of  the  time  will  keep  it  sweet. 


'SWISS  TOGGENBURG  MILCH  GOATS,"  by  Peer, 
Bulletin  No.  68,  B.  A.  I.,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agri. 


People  who  have  never  had  the  care  of  a  milk  animal  often  do  not 
realize  the  importance  of  regular  watering.  When  a  goat  is  giving  a  goodly 
amount  of  milk  the  demand  for  water  is  very  great  and  the  failure  to  supply 
good  water  a  few  times  will  have  a  serious  effect  upon  her  flow  of  milk. 

Goats  require  more  salt  than  most  any  other  animal  owing  possibly  to 
the  more  astringent  character  of  the  food.  While  loose  salt  can  be  given 
either  with  their  feed  or  by  itself,  rock  salt  is  preferable,  as  it  can  be  placed 
in  boxes  or  troughs  raised  from  the  ground,  and  then  be  kept  out  of  the 
dirt,  and  of  course  be  easy  of  access  to  the  goats  at  all  times.  Then  too, 
there  is  no  waste  and  not  so  much  danger  that  the  animals  will  eat  too 

32 


much  of  it.  However,  if  they  have  been  deprived  of  salt  for  any  great 
length  of  time,  they  are  likely  to  over-do  the  matter  if  allowed  free  access 
to  an  abundance.  The  dairyman  should  exercise  good  judgment  in  this 
matter,  but  by  all  means  give  them  plenty  of  salt. 

It  is  a  good  idea  to  add  a  small  amount  of  lime  to  the  salt  every  month 
or  so,  and  it  is  recommended  that  one  part  of  sulphate  of  iron  to  100  parts 
of  salt  is  a  good  tonic  for  the  goats  and  will  assist  in  keepnig  them  free 
from  worms. 


LOOKING  AFTER  THE  HOOFS  AND  DIPPING 

THE  hoofs  of  milch  goats  will  occasionally  need  paring  down,  as  the 
hoofs  will  usually  grow  to  great  length,  turning  back  under  the  foot 
and  creating  a  place  where  dirt  will  accumulate  and  will  sometimes 
cause  foot-root,  and  will  interfere  with  the  movements  of  the  animal.     It 
is  a  very  easy  matter  to  look  after  them  every  month  or  two,  since  it  is 
necessary  it  should  never  be  neglected.     Where  goats  have  abundance  of 
gravel  and  rocks  in  their  pasture,  the  hoofs  will  not  need  much  attention  as 
the  constant  grating  on  the  rocks  will  keep  the  hoofs  worn  down. 

Pare  the  bottom  of  the  hoof  down  until  the  foot  looks  to  be  of  normal 
and  symmetrical  shape.  The  front  line  of  the  hoof  stands,  normally,  at  an 
angle  of  something  more  than  forty-five  degrees  to  the  level  of  the  ground, 
so  if  the  foot  is  pointed  to  about  forty-five  degrees  it  will  be  about  right. 

The  most  effective  way  of  killing  lice  on  goats  is  dipping.  The  only 
drawback  to  this  method  is  that  it  can  only  be  used  in  warm  weather,  when 
there  will  be  no  liability  of  the  goats  taking  cold  from  the  bath. 

If  you  have  only  a  few  goats  they  can  be  stood  in  a  tub  and  sponged 
with  the  dip.  For  a  large  number  galvanized  iron  tanks  are  made  for  sheep 
and  hog  dipping.  Concrete  makes  a  good  tank  and  so  does  a  piece  of  heavy 
canvas  thrown  over  a  wooden  frame  in  such  a  way  that  the  center  can  sag. 
A  kitchen  table  turned  upside  down  and  the  canvas  thrown  over  the  legs 
and  tied  securely  at  the  corners  after  forming  a  pocket  in  the  center,  makes 
a  fairly  good  small  tank. 

The  chill  should  be  taken  from  the  water  if  necessary  and  this  will 
probably  be  the  case  if  the  water  is  drawn  from  a  well,  or  a  city  service. 

The  dips  used  are  the  sheep  and  cattle  dips  advertised  in  the  agricul- 
tural papers,  and  which  are  usually  coal  tar  disinfectants.  The  directions 
supplied  by  the  manufacturers  should  be  followed,  as  the  different  makes 
vary  a  little  in  strength.  Carbonol,  I  have  used  in  the  proportion  of  one 
gallon  of  the  disinfectant  to  one  hundred  gallons  (two  oil  barrels)  of  water, 
and  found  the  mixture  very  effective.  The  coal  tar  dips  are  very  healing 
and  can  be  used  for  cleansing  wounds  as  well  as  general  disinfecting  pur- 
poses. These  dips  when  mixed  with  water  give  the  latter  a  milky  appear- 
ance. 

Care  should  be  taken  that  all  parts  of  the  animal  are  reached,  espe- 
cially the  head,  with  the  mixture.  If  a  tank  is  used  the  head  can  be  im- 
mersed. 

If  the  disinfectant  is  too  strong,  it  will  make  the  eyes  smart  a  little, 
but  seems  to  do  no  real  harm. 

33 


The  government  specifies  dips  as  follows: — the  tobacco  dip,  containing 
seven  one-hundredths  of  one  per  cent  nicotine;  the  lime-sulphur  dip,  made 
by  mixing  eight  pounds  of  unslaked  lime  with  twenty-four  pounds  of 
sulphur  and  boiling  with  thirty  gallons  of  water  for  not  less  than  two 
hours  and  then  diluting  to  one  hundred  gallons;  the  coal-tar  creosote  dip, 
made  by  mixing  coal  tai1  creosote  and  cresol  with  rosin  soap. 

This  latter  is  the  same  as  most  of  the  market  disinfectant  dips. 

The  Government  suggests  testing  the  coal  tar  dips  with  the  water  avail- 
able by  mixing  a  small  quantity  and  letting  stand  for  an  hour.  If  there  is 
an  oily  layer  on  the  surface,  the  water  should  not  be  used,  as  the  oil  might 
cause  injury  to  the  stock.  This  precaution  is  especially  necessary  where 
the  water  is  hard. 


VALUE    OF   THE   MANURE 

THE  manure  produced  by  the  goat  has  a  slightly  higher  value  than  that 
of  sheep,  and  as  sheep  manure  in  regions  where  manures  are  pur- 
chased at  commercial  prices,  is  valued  at  about  $3.30  per  ton,  it  can 
be  readily  seen  that  where  milch  goats  are  confined  to  stables,  the  manure 
is  an  item  worthy  of  notice.  If  the  animals  are  allowed  to  occupy  land 
that  is  to  be  used  for  the  production  of  vegetables,  grain,  or  grass,  the  in- 
fluence of  a  very  few  animals  is  readily  felt  even  over  a  considerable  area 
of  land.  There  is  a  permanency  in  the  effect  of  such  manure  upon  the  land 
that  cannot  be  attained  from  commercial  fertilizers. 

Angora  goats  have  been  given  much  well-deserved  credit  for  destroying 
weeds  and  brush  upon  very  valuable  land  and  at  the  same  time  depositing 
upon  the  land  a  good  coating  of  fertilizer.  This  clearing  and  fertilizing 
has  caused  fields  of  valuable  grass  to  spring  up  where  only  weeds  and  brush 
grew  before. 

The  milk  goat  breeds  will  do  as  much  if  the  opportunity  is  given  them. 

There  is  no  better  fertilizer  for  fruit  trees  and  lawns  than  goat  manure 
and  none  equal  to  it  for  this  purpose  except  sheep  manure. 


DESTROYING  BRUSH  WOOD 

WHILE  the  writer  does  not  consider  milch  goats  as  well  adapted  to 
the  destroying  of  worthless  brushwood  as  the  Angoras,  it  is  not 
because  the  milch  goat  has  not  the  ability  or  the  willingness  to 
do  so,  but  is  only  because  of  the  bad  effect  on  the  flavor  of  the  milk  such 
food  might  have,  but  all  goats  not  milking,  especially  the  kids  and  bucks, 
should  have  some  browse,  if  it  is  available. 

The  act  x>f  browsing  furnishes  exercise  for  the  animals  which  is  a  ne- 
cessity, and  a  little  browse  will  serve  as  a  tonic  and  thus  help  to  keep  them 
in  good  condition.  The  milch  goat  dairyman  will  find  that  a  small  piece  of 
brush  land  would  be  a  valuable  place  to  turn  his  bucks,  kids,  and  does  not 
giving  milk. 

In  clearing  land  of  brush  too  much  should  not  be  expected  of  the  goats. 
Don't  try  to  make  the  goats  clear  the  land  in  too  short  a  time.  Some  times 

34 


a  number  of  goats  are  starved  into  eating  everything  on  the  land,  even  to 
barking  the  trees  and  saplings  in  order  to  get  food.  This  may  be  all  right 
for  the  land,  but  it  is  hard  on  the  goats. 

MILCH  GOAT  MEAT  AS  FOOD 

THERE  is  a  prejudice  existing  against  the  use  of  goats  of  any  kind 
for  meat.     This  is  undoubtedly  founded  upon  ignorance  rather  than 
experience.     The  most  ill-smelling  "billy"  of  the  common  or  worst 
type  is  usually  held  as   the   standard  of  goats  flesh  for  the  whole  goat 
family.     Surely  there  could  have  been  no  prejudice  existing  in  Abraham's 


"YOUNG  IMPORTED  TOGGENBURG  GOATS,"  by  Bagby, 
Bulletin  No.  68,  B.  A.  I.,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agri. 

d"ay  when  we  read  of  goats  being  used  for  meat  and  milk  purposes,  and 
this,  too,  when  there  were  an  abundance  of  cattle  and  sheep  to  be  had. 

The  flesh  of  the  milch  goat  kids  can  be  classed  with  the  most  delicate 
of  meats,  being  exceedingly  nutritious,  and  palatable  and  absolutely  free 
from  all  infectious  diseases.  The  flesh  of  the  famous  Shropshire  lambs 
which  is  considered  as  among  the  best  of  meats  is  said  not  to  be  superior  to 
a  well  fed  and  well  cooked  milch  goat  kid.  It  is  stated  by  good  authority 
that  milch  goat  kids,  when  dressed  at  eight  weeks  old,  sell  readily  in  our 
eastern  markets  for  from  $3.00  to  $5.00  each.  The  flesh  of  the  older  ani- 

35 


mals  compare  very  well  with  that  of  our  best  meat  breeds  of  sheep  and 
is  superior  to  that  of  the  common  goat.  The  delicacy  of  their  flesh  ought 
to  insure  a  ready  market  anywhere  and  the  milch  goat  dairyman  can  un- 
doubtedly realize  a  good  profit  on  all  male  kids  not  to  be  used  for  breed- 
ing purposes. 

As  a  usual  thing  the  meat  of  goats  is  termed  as  "mutton"  "goat  mut- 
ton" and  "goat  venison."  When  the  goats  are  fattened  on  grain  and  fodders 
the  meat  resembles  sheep  mutton,  and  when  they  are  fattened  on  twigs 
and  leaves  it  resembles  the  meat  of  the  deer  and  for  this  reason  it  is  some- 
times called  venison. 


VALUE  OF  THE  SKINS 

THE  value  of  the  skins  from  milch  goats  will  undoubtedly  be  an  item 
of  important  consideration  to  the  American  goat  dairyman  in  years 
to  come,  but  at  the  present  time  there  are  too  small  a  number  of 
milch  goats  killed  for  the  purpose  of  meat  or  skins,  but  of  course  some  of 
the  male  kids  will  have  to  be  slaughtered,  especially  those  from  "grades" 
and  poorer  milking  does  as  such  animals  would  not  do  for  breeding  pur- 
poses. 

The  following  is  quoted  from  a  government  publication:  "The  skins 
of  milch  goats  are  of  better  quality  than  those  of  the  Angora  breed,  and 
are  the  kind  used  in  the  manufacture  of  shoes  and  gloves,  and  those  from 
the  colder  parts  of  the  country  are  better  than  those  from  the  warmer 
parts.  Inasmuch  as  the  United  States  imports  millions  of  dollars  worth  of 
goatskins  annually,  it  would  seem  that  there  should  be  a  ready  market  for 
all  that  might  be  produced  here." 

Milch  goat  skins  are  used  by  furriers  very  extensively  in  the  produc- 
tion of  imitation  bear  skin.  Their  market  value  will  vary  considerable 
depending  upon  the  seize,  age,  color,  length  of  hair,  and  season  of  the 
year  when  taken. 

LENGTH  OF  MILCH  COATS  LIFE. 

WHEN  a  doe  has  been  kept  under  ordinary  good  conditions  she  will 
be  at  her  prime  when  from  5  to  7  years  old,  although  good  milk- 
ers  are  reported  at  from  12  to  14  years  of  age;   however,  the 
average  length  of  usefulness  will  be  not  to  exceed  12  years,  and  if  good 
care  has  been  given  them  they  may  be  expected  to  produce  kids  until  that 
age. 

A  doe  that  gives  2  quarts  of  milk  at  her  first  kidding  will  often  give 
3  quarts  at  her  third  kidding  and  this  amount  during  her  entire  life. 

The  buck  should  retain  his  vitality  up  to  10  or  12  years  of  age,  if  good 
judgment  has  been  exercised  in  his  management. 

In  determining  the  age  of  a  milch  goat,  the  accompanying  illustration 
and  description  of  same  from  B.  A.  I.  bulletin  No.  68,  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture,  will  be  very  helpful  to  an  understanding  of  this  matter. 

"During  the  first  year  of  a  kid's  life  its  teeth  are  small  and  even  and 
sometimes  separated,  as  shown  in  the  illustration:  the  second  year  shows 

36 


two  front  teeth  as  being  much  larger  and  higher;  the  third  year  adds  two 
more  large  teeth;  the  fourth  year,  two  others;  and  the  fifth  year,  two 
others  yet,  which  completes  the  set.  After  this  time  the  only  way  to 
know  a  goats  age  is  from  records  that  may  have  been  kept;  but  one  may 
form  some  judgment  of  its  age  by  its  general  appearance. 

There  are  some  breeds  of  goats  that  will  develop  a  full  mouth  in  the 
fourth  year  instead  of  the  fifth. 


F/FTH  Y£X& 

REGARDING  THE  HORNS. 

THAT  the  presence  or  absence  of  horns  has  no  influence  upon  the 
.value  of  the  milch  goat  as  a  milk  producer  is  vouched  for  by  all  goat 
men.  But  opinions  differ  in  regarcl  to  their  usefulness,  generally 
speaking,  the  horns  are  a  nusiance  and  of  no  value  to  the  animal,  except  as 
a  weapon  to  be  used  against  dogs,  which  might  be  considered  an  advant- 
age when  the  goats  are  allowed  a  large  range  in  which  they  would  be 
likely  to  be  bothered  by  dogs  or  other  animals.  As  a  rule  goats  can  look 
out  for  themselves,  horns  or  no  horns,  except  when  very  young  then  care 
should  be  exercised  by  the  breeder  that  vicious  dogs  be  excluded  from  the 
goat  pasture.  Some  times  horns  add  to  the  general  apparance  of  the  ani- 
mal, but  that  will  depend  upon  the  likes  and  dislikes  of  different  people, 
it  being  generally  conceded  that  the  hornless  is  most  in  favor  among  milch 
goat  breeders,  when  all  things  being  equal,  and  no  valuable  milking  char- 
acteristics are  sacrificed. 

It  is  a  very  easy  matter  to  dehorn  goats,  but  if  horns  are  not  want- 
ed the  easiest  and  simplest  way  to  abolish  them  is  to  stop  their  growth  on 
the  kids  when  only  a  few  days  old.  This  can  be  accomplished  by  the  use 
of  costic  potash.  This  can  be  procured  at  any  drug  store  in  stick  form 
which  resembles  a  piece  of  crayon.  By  dipping  one  end  of  the  stick  in 
water  and  rubbing  the  moistened  end  on  the  horn  knobs  that  are  form- 
ing the  root  of  the  horn  can  be  destroyed.  As  the  costic  potash  will  take 
the  skin  off  the  hands  unless  protected  it  is  necessary  that  the  part  being 
handled  be  wrapped  with  paper.  Care  should  be  exercised  not  to  get  any 

37 


of  the  costic  potash  on  any  part  of  the  goat  but  the  horn  knobs  for  if  any 
of  it  should  get  into  the  eyes  it  would  destroy  the  sight. 


BREEDS  OF  MILCH  GOATS  IN  UNITED  STATES. 

THE  milch  goat  industry  in  the  United  States  is  barely  in  its  infancy 
as  it  can  hardly  be  said  that  it  has  more  than  just  started,  only  a 
few  breeds  of  Swiss,  German,  Nubian  and  Spanish  goats  have  ever 
been  tried  to  any  great  extent  in  our  country  and  as  years  roll  by  many 
new  breeds  may  be  tried  with  good  success,  the  Swiss  Toggenburg  milch 
goats  have  proven  exceptionally  valuable  animals  for  our  country,  adapting 
themselves  readily  to  our  climate,  and  will  probably  be  one  of  the  leading 
breed  of  milch  goats,  just  as  the  Jersey  cow  leads  in  milch  cows.  The  Tog- 
genburg might  be  called  the  aristocrat  of  the  milch  goat  family  and  is 
from  the  Togenburg  valley  in  the  northeast  portion  of  Switzerland,  about 
70  or  100  miles  from  Berne.  In  this  great  valley  they  have  been  bred  for 
centuries  by  the  Swiss  who  are  a  queer  peop.e  in  that  they  will  not  allow 
their  best  animals  to  be  taken  out  of  this  country.  This  is  piobably  the 
principal  reason  why  this  fine  breed  of  milch  goats  has  never  been  known 
better  to  the  English  and  American  people. 

The  color  of  the  Toggenburg  is  a  light  brown  with  a  white  bar  down 
each  side  of  the  face,  this  is  a  mark  characteristic  with  the  breed.  They 
are  usually  hornless,  but  occasionally  one  will  develop  horns.  They  are 
some  what  slender  and  one  of  its  principle  characteristics  is  its  great  lean- 
ness. Notwithstanding  this  fact  they  are  quite  attractive  in  appearance. 
The  does  of  this  breed  are  about  the  best  milkers  we  have,  being  large  in 
size,  and  having  a  form  well  developed  for  milking  purposes.  The  udder 
when  distended  is  carried  high  up  and  the  teats  are  usually  very  large  and 
long,  making  the  task  of  milinking  them  a  very  easy  one. 

The  Swiss  Saanen  milch  goat  is  another  valuable  milk  producer.  It 
takes  its  name  from  the  Saanen  Valley  of  Switzerland,  where  they  are 
quite  numerous.  They  are  also  popular  in  the  upper  Simmen  Valley.  The 
Saanen  is  probably  the  largest  breed  of  Swiss  milch  goats.  It  is  quite  tall 
and  resembles  very  much  in  anatomy  the  Toggenburgs.  Its  color  is  pure 
white  or  creamy  white.  The  hair  is  rather  short  except  a  strip  along  the 
spinal  column  and  on  the  flanks.  They  are  a  very  graceful  appearing 
animal  having  long,  slim  necks  and  small  heads.  They  are  usually  horn- 
less as  with  the  Toggenburg  which  they  very  closely  resemble  in  many 
ways.  They  seem  to  be  well  adapted  to  the  more  mountainions  sections  of 
our  country,  and  when  they  are  more  thoroughly  tried  in  our  country  the 
writer  is  firm  in  the  belief  that  they  will  be  a  close  rival  of  the  Toggen- 
burg breed. 

The  Nubian  milch  goat  is  the  largest  breed  of  milch  goats  known,  it 
is  also  the  heaviest  milker  of  all  breeds  of  milch  goats.  They  are  ex- 
ceedingly prolific  and  often  give  birth  to  three  kids  at  one  time  and  oc- 
casionally four  kids  at  one  birth.  When  pure  bred.it  does  not  stand  our 
northern  winters  very  well,  but  when  crossed  with  either  the  Toggenburgs 
or  Saanen  it  is  one  of  the  very  best  milch  goats  for  our  climates,  particular- 

38 


ly  so  when  crossed  with  the  Toggenburgs.  No  member  of  the  goat  family 
is  more  peaceful  or  gentle  than  the  Nubian,  and  while  the  bucks  of  this 
bred  have  the  same  odor  that  all  milch  goats  bucks  have  the  odor  is  far  less 
in  this  breed.  A  peculiarity  in  this  breed  is  its  long  pendant  ears,  they 
usually  have  no  beard  or  horns  but  when  there  are  animals  having  horns 
they  lay  upon  the  back  of  the  head  and  curve  outward.  The  color  is 
usually  a  deep  brown  and  the  hair  is  medium  long  and  quite  fine. 


"AFTON  PEDRO"  when  4  months  old,  a  %  Swiss  Saanen  and  &  Swiss 
Toggenburg  buck,  used  some  in  breeding  the  writer's  does  in  1911.  The 
grand  sires  and  grand  dams  of  this  buck  were  imported  from  Switzer- 
land. 


The  Spanish  Maltese  milch  goats  are  well  adapted  to  the  climate  of  our 
country,  especially  the  central  and  southern  part.  They  are  very  hardy 
and  prolific,  adapting  themselves  very  readily  to  either  extreme  of  heat  or 
cold  and  also  to  most  any  method  of  handling.  The  Spanish  Maltese  goat 
is  a  native  of  the  Island  of  Malta  in  the  Mediteranean  Sea  some  54  miles 
from  the  Sicilian  coast,  and  comprises  but  95  square  miles  in  area.  On 
this  Island  something  like  30,000  milch  goats  are  raised  and  from  this 
stock  some  very  fine  milkers  have  been  imported  to  our  country,  prin- 
cipally through  Cuba.  Spanish  Maltese  goats  have  no  distinct  color  or 
marking  that  is  characteristic  with  this  breed  as  is  the  case  with  the  Swiss 
goats.  They  are  white,  black,  brown,  red,  grey  and  in  fact  you  may  find 

39 


them  of  any  color.  They  are  some  smaller  than  the  Swiss  breeds  and 
carry  the  udder  close  to  the  ground,  in  fact  some  times  the  udder  of  a 
"fresh"  doe  will  nearly  touch  the  ground,  both  the  udder  and  teats  are 
very  large  considering  the  size  of  the  animals.  They  usually  have  horns 
but  a  strain  that  is  hornless  are  bred  the  same  in  every  respect  except 
the  matter  of  horns. 

The  American  Milch  Goat — A  few  fairly  good  milk  producing  goats 
have  been  bred  in  remote  localities  in  this  country  for  a  great  many  years 
originating  as  it  seems  from  various  unknown  breeds  of  goats  possessing 
no  marked  milk  producing  qualities.  It  is  supposed  that  some  of  these 
goats  were  brought  to  the  United  States  by  tourists  and  sailors  that  brought 
them  more  as  pets,  as  a  goat  is  a  very  intelligent  animal  and  can  be  taught 
many  interesting  tricks.  Some  of  these  American  milch  goats  may  have 
been  imported  with  the  early  importations  of  Angoras. 

In  comparison  to  the  superior  qualities  of  the  previous  mentioned  breeds 
the  American  milch  goat  is  far  inferior  in  the  matter  of  milk  production, 
yet  by  crossing  the  does  with  the  more  superior  milch  goat  bucks  we  have 
some  of  the  very  best  milkers  to  be  found  in  America  in  the  one-quarter 
and  one-eighth  native  croses. 

It  is  known  that  among  these  goats  there  are  often  found  some  ex- 
cellent milkers,  although  their  origin  is  obscure.  These  are  the  kind  of 
goats  that  shauld  be  selected  as  a  foundation  for  the  American  breed,  and 
if  their  milk  characteristics  were  further  increased  by  crossing  with  either 
the  pure-bred  Toggenbury,  Saanen  or  Nubian  bucks,  which  are  now  in  this 
country,  we  should  soon  see  a  breed  that  would  produce  a  satisfactory 
amount  of  milk  and  at  the  same  time  have  all  the  hardiness  possessed  by 
our  common  goats. 

There  are  but  few  full-blood  goats  in  this  country,  the  greater  share 
are  crosses,  but  some  of  the  grades  are  fully  as  good  as  the  pure  breed 
in  their  milking  capacity. 


REQUIREMENTS  OF  A  GOOD  MILCH  GOAT 

SO  far  as  the  anatomy  of  a  good  milk  producing  goat  is  concerned,  the 
reader  could  do  well  to  sum  up  these  points  in  a  dairy  cow  and  when 

compared  to  the  milch  goat  will  be  found  very  close  in  comparison. 
The  buck  should  have  a  small  head,  a  short  thick  neck,  with  abundance  of 
hair.  The  chest  should  be  broad  and  massive,  the  back  long  and  straight 
and  the  ribs  well-rounded,  his  family  record  should  be  the  principle  feature 
as  the  importance  of  using  only  the  best  buck  obtainable  is  well  known. 

It  is  a  hard  matter  to  set  down  a  given  rule  that  would  apply  to  all 
milch  goats  as  to  the  general  anatomy  of  the  animals.  As  a  rule  the  does 
of  the  Swiss  and  Nubian  breeds  have  a  long,  lank  appearance,  slender  necks, 
with  small  pointed  nose,  the  udder  should  be  capacious  and  not  fleshy  with 
plenty  of  milk  veins  leading  to  it.  The  udder  of  a  doe  not  in  milk  is  drawn 
up  so  there  is  very  little  visible,  a  large  fatty  udder  is  not  an  indication 
that  the  doe  is  a  good  milker.  The  size  of  the  doe  has  very  little  to  do 

40 


with  her  ability  to  give  milk,  the  writer  has  seen  does  weighing  50  to  60 
Ibs.  that  would  give  more  milk  than  some  does  weighing  twice  that  amount. 
However,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  regard  large  size  as  preferable  to  small  ones 
when  their  breeding  qualities  are  equal,  for  we  must  look  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  animal  at  the  same  time  we  look  to  developing  the  milking 
qualities. 

The  following  article  written  by  Dr.  S.  L.  Roberts  is  of  interest  along 
this  line: 

"One  of  these  is  a  three-quarter  Toggenburg,  and  weighs  perhaps 
eighty-five  pounds.  She  has  the  Toggenburg  shape,  marks  and  expression, 
also  color  (mouse)  except  on  abdomen,  which  is  grayish-white.  Her  record 
for  one  month,  from  February  12  to  March  12th,  is  295  Ibs.  and  12  ozs.; 
for  first  seven  days,  from  Feb.  12th  to  Feb.  19th,  inclusive,  is  67  Ibs.  and 
6  ozs.  She  increased  her  milk  output  from  the  20th  of  February  to  the 
17th  of  March.  There  may  be  many  other  goats  in  the  country  of  her 
weight  and  age  (3  years)  that  do  better  than  this,  but  it  should  be  con- 
sidered a  very  satisfactory  yield,  I  think.  This  goat  comes  from  a  strain 
that  had  its  origin  away  back  yonder  in  the  stone  age,  among  the  Lake 
Dwellers  in  Switzerland,  or  some  such  date. 

"Another  one  is  a  little  brown  creature  two  years  old,  weighing  62 
pounds,  which  is  ten-sixteenths  Toggenburg  and  six-sixteens  Mexican  An- 
gora. Until  about  three  weeks  previous  to  dropping  her  kid  she  gave  but 
poor  evidence  of  becoming  much  of  a  producer  of  milk,  as  the  udder  was 
very  small  and  carried  high,  and  her  pelvic  region  showed  but  meagre 
depth.  Altogether  the  little  thing  promised  to  do  but  little  in  the  milk- 
stand.  Four  or  five  days  prior  to  kidding  the  udder  began  to  show  some 
but  wasn't  large.  For  so  small  a  doe  her  doe  kid  came  very  large,  and  I 
thought  I  should  have  to  supply  its  milk  in  part  from  another  dam.  Suf- 
fice to  say  her  udder  developed  nicely,  and  when  the  milk  was  drawn  it 
shrank  to  almost  no  udder  at  all.  She  has  now  (March  20th)  been  milking 
twenty  days  and  has  yielded  120  pounds  and  12  ounces.  Back  of  these  does 
on  their  sire's  side  is  the  best  milch  ancestry  of  which  I  have  any  record. 

"Alongside  of  them  is  a  doe  that  weighs  128  pounds,  which  has  but 
one-sixteenth  Toggenburg  blood,  a  trace  of  Alpine,  some  Mexican,  and 
what  not  for  the  rest.  She  yields  36  ounces  a  day.  Do  how  I  will,  I  can't 
get  her  other  than  in  a  condition  of  grease — she  is  as  fat  as  a  Berkshire 
porker.  Size  here  doesn't  'milk'  out." 

Dr.  Roberts'  62  Ib.  doe  with  the  right  kind  of  breeding  gave  over  3 
quarts  of  milk  a  day  while  the  128  Ib.  doe  with  poor  breeding  gave  only 
about  one  quart  a  day. 

As  there  is  only  a  very  few  pure-bred  Swiss  goats  in  this  country  and 
as  the  Nubian  do  not  thrive  here  unless  cross-bred  it  is  easy  to  see  why  it 
is  next  to  impossible  to  buy  pure-bred  stock  of  these  breeds,  and  where 
they  are  offered  for  sale  the  price  is  away  beyond  their  real  value  as  milk 
producers  to  the  person  that  wants  a  goat  for  milk  alone.  Breeders  will 
pay  fancy  prices  for  them  to  get  new  blood  but  owing  to  the  fact  that 
there  has  been  no  Swiss  goats  imported  to  this  country  for  many  years, 
(and  probably  won't  be  for  many  years  to  come)  the  few  pure-bred  Swiss 

41 


goats  that  are  here  have  become  in-bred  to  such  an  extent  that  a  good 
many  of  them  have  lost  their  best  qualities,  yet  where  they  have  been 
judiciously  bred  either  pure  or  cross-bred  with  the  best  type  of  milch  goats 
(regardless  of  the  breed)  the  best  milking  stock  is  usually  to  be  found. 

In  1903  there  was  a  record  Association  formed  for  the  purpose  of 
encouraging  the  establishment  of  the  milch  goat  industry  in  this  country. 
Considering  the  number  of  years  this  association  has  been  established  here 
have  been  very  few  goats  registered  considering  the  fact  that  for  a  long  time 
any  kind  of  a  doe  could  be  registered  if  she  gave  one  quart  of  milk  a  day 
regardless  of  her  breeding,  a  buck  from  such  a  does  could  also  be  registered 
if  the  sire  and  dam  were  registered.  These  rules  allowed  a  lot  of  low 
grade  goats  to  be  registered  and  did  very  little  toward  building  up  the 
milch  goat  industry.  Later  the  rules  were  changed  to  admit  only  does 
giving  two  yuarts  per  day  regardless  of  their  breeding,  and  instead  of 
registering  bucks  from  registered  sires  and  dams  of  any  breeding  only 
bucks  from  pure-bred,  registered  sires  and  dams  were  eligible  to  registry. 
There  were  some  good  features  in  this  but  there  were  also  some  extremely 
unjust  features  and  a  sad  mistake  in  eliminating  all  bucks  that  were  cross- 
bred with  the  very  best  recognized  breeds  of  milch  goats.  To  bar  the  grade 
bucks  from  registry  would  seem  reasonable,  that  is  a  buck  being  part 
native  stock,  but  it  is  all  wrong  to  bar  the  bucks  from  Swiss  and  Nubian 
breeds  that  are  cross-bred  for,  with  some  of  them  it  is  only  possible  to 
produce  the  best  types  for  our  country  by  the  judicious  cross-breeding  of 
these  recognized  breeds  of  milch  goats,  and  as  the  pure-bred  stock  is  so  few 
in  this  country  and  so  much  in-bred  that  it  is  folly  to  stick  to  that  old 
"Royal  Blood"  idea,  for  it  is  a  proven  fact  that  some  of  America's  best 
milch  goat  stock  is  the  result  of  cross-breeding  in  the  hands  of  experienced 
animal  breeders,  just  as  it  has  been  in  the  breeding  of  other  kinds  of  live 
stock,  such  as  horses,  cattle,  etc-  Improvement  and  not  deterioration  is 
what  we  want  and  must  have. 

PURCHASING  MILCH  GOATS 

HERE  can  I  buy  a  milch  goat?"  is  often  asked  by  many  people, 
yet  if  more  people  knew  the  true  merits  of  the  milch  goat,  there 
would  be  many  more  such  questions  asked. 

In  the  breeding  of  all  classes  of  livestock  there  are  certain  prime 
characteristics  in  view  in  the  breeding  of  each  animal,  certain  predominat- 
ing qualities  are  in  certain  individuals,  and  to  bring  out  these  qualities  in 
the  offsprings  requires  the  sacrifice  sometimes  of  the  pure-breeding.  The 
rnilch  goat  is  bred  for  milk  alone  and  the  prime  characteristic  in  the  ani- 
mal is  the  production  of  milk.  The  value  of  the  animal  will  depend  almost 
altogether  on  these  qualities  and  the  price  will  naturally  be  in  comparison 
to  the  milking  qualities,  rather  than  in  the  breed  alone.  It  has -developed 
that  some  of  the  best  milk  stock  we  have  are  the  result  of  judicious  cross- 
ing of  breeds. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  quote  a  fixed  valuation  on  a  milch  goat  in  this 
country  at  the  present  time,  as  that  will  depend  to  a  large  degree  on  how 
bad  the  owner  wants  to  sell  or  how  much  the  purchaser  wishes  to  pay,  and 
last  but  not  least,  how  good  a  milker  the  goat  is. 

42 


If  the  purchaser  is  buying  a  goat  for  milk  alone,  it  is  then  better  to 
buy  a  cross-bred  doe  from  some  reliable  breeder.  If  you  want  to  go  into  the 
business  of  raising  milch  goats  and  have  plenty  of  money  to  spend,  then 
try  and  buy  a  pure-bred  goat,  but  the  man  that  buys  a  good  cross-bred  goat 
may  get  the  best  milker,  and  he  can  buy  three  of  them  for  the  same  money 
thot  you  spend  for  one  pure-bred  goat. 


"A  SWISS  GUGGISBERGER  DOE,"  by  Hilpert, 
Bulletin  No.  68,  B.  A.  I.,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agri. 

This  breed  is  very  similar  to  the  Swiss  Saanen,  except  that  they  are 
of  various  colors  and  markings  while  the  Saanen  is  pure  white. 


By  far  the  most  satisfactory  young  stock  to  buy  is  that  raised  on  new 
pasture  by  a  professional  breeder.  It  is  healthy,  vigorous,  hardy  and  will 
keep  in  good  condition  and  continue  to  grow  on  hay  and  farm  foods.  One 
important  reason  is  that  usually  breeder's  kids  have  run  with  their  dams 
and  have  had  plenty  of  milk.  The  process  of  weaning  was  gradual  and  at 
no  time  did  they  receive  a  set-back  or  lose  their  kid-fat.  Their  sire  is 
usually  a  selected  individual  of  good  milking  strain.  What  is  called  "back 
yard"  goats,  or  goats  having  been  raised  in  back  yards  are  as  a  rule  not 
the  best  kind  to  buy,  and  I  attribute  the  reasons  to  be  as  follows :  Breeding 
too  young,  and  interbreeding  so  that  the  kids  lack  constitution.  Breeding 
to  any  buck  available,  regardless  of  whether  of  milking  strain  or  not. 

43 


Weaning  too  young.  Unclean  surroundings  and  unclean  food  which  favor 
the  development  of  internal  parasites. 

A  doe  giving  milk  should  never  be  shipped.  She  may  become  nervous 
and  probably  frightened  while  on  the  voyage  which  will  have  a  bad  effect 
on  her  milk  flow.  Then  if  a  stranger  undertakes  to  milk  her  she  will 
object  to  this,  and  it  is  almost  impossible  to  have  a  doe  milked  while  in 
the  care  of  the  Express  Companies,  and  would  probably  reach  her  destina- 
tion with  a  caked  udder  which  would  almost  ruin  her  as  a  good  milker. 
Then  if  she  did  reach  her  destination  in  good  order,  the  people,  the  sur- 
roundings, everything  is  new  to  her,  and  a  nervous  doe  will  begin  to  fret, 
she  gets  lonesome,  she  is  homesick,  &nd  she  could  not  be  expected  to  give  a 
good  flow  of  milk  under  such  conditions.  It  is  far  better  to  purchase  a 
doe  that  has  >*s"ently  been  bred  and  that  has  been  "dryed  off."  The  doe,  or 
does,  will  then  become  acquainted  with  their  new  surroundings,  the  people, 
etc.,  and  then  when  the  kids  come  the  does  are  perfectly  contented  and  are 
capable  of  then  doing  their  best  at  producing  milk.  Then  the  owner  also 
has  the  kids.  A  doe  being  pregnant  over  four  months  should  never  be 
shipped.  A  short  journey  after  that  time  is  apt  to  cause  abortion. 

Milch  goat  stock  in  Switzerland  of  the  average  type  sells  for  from 
$20  to  $30  each,  and  if  we  could  import  them  it  would  cost  about  $25  each 
to  land  them  on  our  shore,  with  a  big  risk  of  loss  on  such  a  long  voyage,  but 
such  a  thing  is  impossible,  and  has  been  for  many  years.  The  following  is 
from  United  States  B.  A.  I.  Order  No.  180: 

"Owing  to  the  prevalence  of  foot-and-mouth  disease  in  Switzerland,  the 
Department  is  not  permitting  the  importation  of  goats  or  other  ruminants 
or  swine  from  that  country.  In  fact  permits  have  not  been  issued  for  the 
importation  of  such  animals  from  Switzerland  for  several  years.  This  is 
due  to  the  constant  presence  of  foot-and-mouth  disease." 

"At  intervals  the  Bureau  receives  official  reports  from  various  foreign 
countries  concerning  freedom  or  presence  of  diseases  of  livestock.  Reports 
of  this  character  are  received  regularly  from  Switzerland  and  the  latest  on 
file,  covering  the  period  from  November  23  to  December  21,  indicates  that 
the  infection  was  present  during  that  time  in  sixteen  of  the  twenty-two 
Swiss  cantons." 

The  prices  of  pure-bred  Swiss  and  Nubian  goats  in  this  country  will 
range  all  the  way  from  $40  to  $100  each,  while  cross-bred  goats  and  "grades" 
will  bring  from  $15  to  $50,  depending  on  their  milking  ability,  which  in 
some  cases  equal  that  of  the  pure-bred  stock  and  usually  have  a  far  more 
vigorous  constitution,  providing  they  come  from  a  breeder  that  understands 
his  business.  When  it  comes  to  the  estimating  of  the  value  of  goats  for 
milk  alone  the  following  is,  in  the  judgment  of  the  writer,  a  good  scale 
of  prices: 


10.00 
15.00 
20.00 
25.00 
;35.00 
140.00 
>50.00 

A  doe  that  will  give  4^4  quarts  a  day  is  worth $65.00 

A  doe  that  will  give  5      quarts  a  day  is  worth $80.00  to  $100.00 

A  doe  that  will  give  over  5  quarts  a  day  is  worth A  Fortune 

44 


A  doe  that  will  give  1  quart  a  day  is  worth. 
A  doe  that  will  give  1^  quarts  a  day  is  worth. 
A  doe  that  will  give  2  quarts  a  day  is  worth. 
A  doe  that  will  give  2%  quarts  a  day  is  worth. 
A  doe  that  will  give  3  quarts  a  day  is  worth. 
A  doe  that  will  give  3%  quarts  a  day  is  worth. 
A  doe  that  will  give  4  quarts  a  day  is  worth. 


The  writer  has  known  a  great  many  instances  where  parties  having 
goats  to  sell  will  misrepresent  the  milking  qualities  of  their  goats.  Pur- 
chasers should  be  very  cautious  about  buying  milch  goat  stock.  Buy  from 
reliable  parties  if  possible,  and  don't  believe  too  much  about  what  is  said 
by  some  people  regarding  their  "5  and  6"  quart  does.  Such  stock  in  this 
country  is  very  scarce  and  such  does  sell  readily  when  their  milking  ability 
is  proven. 

I  know  one  grade  goat  that  is  giving  five  quarts  of  milk  a  day  and  the 
owner  has  refused  $100  for  her.  A  four-quart  milker  will  bring  $50,  one 
that  gives  three  quarts,  $30  to  $35,  and  so  on  down. 

Sometimes  a  goat  giving  a  quart  may  be  picked  up  cheap,  and  if  it  is 
a  first  kid  she  may  make  a  good  milker  later,  as  a  two-quart  milker  will 
supply  an  average  family  with  milk. 

The  kids  range  in  price  the  same  all  the  way  from  $10  up.  The  best 
way  for  one  to  get  a  start  unless  they  have  plenty  of  money  is  to  buy  the 
kids  and  raise  them.  Of  course,  however,  where  one  only  wishes  the  mrk 
and  does  not  care  for  fancy  marks  or  color,  a  cheaper  goat  is  just  as  good. 


SHIPPING  GOATS 

IN  shipping  goats  it  is  nearly  always  customary  to  crate  them  and  ship 
by  express,  it  is  customary  for  the  purchaser  to  pay  the  express  charges 
unless  the  owner  quotes  a  price  to  the  customer  in  which  the  owner  agrees 
to  prepay  the  express  charges  which  is  very  seldom  done.  Shipping  goats 
C.  0.  D.  is  a  very  bad  practice,  for  if  the  purchaser  changes  his  mind  and 
decides  not  to  take  the  goats  upon  their"  arrival  at  their  destination  the 
owner  then  has  to  pay  the  express  charges  both  ways  with  an  accumulated 
feed  bill  while  the  express  company  is  awaiting  instructions  for  their  return. 
In  constructing  a  crate  for  shipping  it  is  very  important  that  the  crate 
be  made  as  light  as  possible  and  at  the  same  time  strong,  a  solid  bottom  of 
%  inch  light  boards  is  necessary,  and  a  frame  of  1x2  inch  material  next, 
wire  netting  can  then  be  drawn  around  the  sides,  ends,  and  top,  then  put 
3  or  4  strands  of  smooth  wire  around  the  entire  crate  and  twist  tight.  This 
makes  the  crate  "goat  tight"  or,  if  there  is  no  woven  wire  at  hand,  make 
a  frame  as  above,  and  nail  thin  box  boards  perpendicular,  leaving  3  or  4 
inches  between  boards,  then  draw  2  or  3  double  strands  of  wire  around  the 
crate  and  twist  the  wires  between  each  board.  This  makes  the  crate  rigid, 
yet  it  is  light.  The  size  of  the  crate  should  be  in  accordance  with  the 
number  of  goats  to  be  shipped,  the  size  of  the  goats,  and  the  distance  they 
are  to  travel.  Enough  space  should  be  allowed  so  that  the  goats  can  lie 
down  or  stand  up  straight.  As  a  rule  the  crate  would  weigh  about  one  half 
of  the  body  weight  of  the  goat  to  be  shipped;  if  a  goat  weighed  60  Ibs.  the 
crate  would  weight  30  Ibs.,  and  the  shipment  including  goat  and  crate  would 
weigh  90  Ibs.  Where  a  number  of  goats  are  shipped  in  one  crate  the 
weight  of  the  crate  should  be  still  less  in  proportion  to  the  body  weight  of 
the  goats  which  makes  the  cost  of  shipping  far  less  for  the  purchaser,  and 
it  is  a  good  plan  for  those  wishing  to  buy  one  or  two  goats  to  get  their 
neighbors  and  friends  interested  and  have  a  number  come  in  the  same  crate, 

45 


then  the  express  charges  can  be  divided  among  the  different  parties.  Then, 
as  a  rule,  a  breeder  will  make  a  better  price  on  a  number  than  on  one  as  it 
costs  him  nearly  as  much  to  build  a  crate  for  one  and  deliver  to  the  express 
office  as  it  does  for  3  or  4.  Then,  when  there  are  several  parties  in  a 
community  that  have  milch  goats  for  their  own  family  use,  they  can  chip  in 
together  and  each  buy  an  interest  in  a  breeding  buck,  and  can  take  turn 
about  in  keeping  the  buck,  in  this  way  each  one  has  the  use  of  a  breeding 
buck  and  it  don't  cost  anyone  very  much  money. 

Express  companies  look  after  the  feeding  while  in  their  charge.  In- 
structions should  be  placed  on  the  crate  as  to  what  and  when  to  feed.  For 
short  rides  this  is  not  necessary.  The  shipper  should  notify  the  purchaser 
a  few  days  prior  to  the  day  shipment  is  to  be  made  so  that  the  purchaser 
will  know  about  when  to  expect  the  shipment. 

The  public  regards  the  goat  as  a  joke.  While  he  is  at  the  depot  await- 
ing shipment  a  crowd  of  people  are  offering  him  every  conceivable  thing  to 
eat.  A  doe  will  not  bite,  perhaps,  but  a  sociable  buck  will  even  take  some 
of  their  tobacco  or  chewing  gum,  though  he  feels  he  does  not  need  it.  He 
probably  has  bad  habits  enough  of  his  own  without  taking  on  any  of  man's. 


TERMINOLOGY  OF  THE  GOAT  INDUSTRY  FROM  THE  AMERICAN 
STANDARD  MILCH  GOAT  KEEPER 

Buck,  the  perfect  male. 

Doe,  the  perfect  female. 

Kid,  the  young,  either  male  or  female. 

Weather,  a  male  which  was  castrated  when  a  kid,  or  a  spayed  female. 

Stag,  a  male  which  was  castrated  after  attaining  full  growth. 

Weanling,  a  kid  just  weaned. 

Yearling,  either  a  doe  or  buck  between  a  year  and  two  years  old. 

Farrow  Doe,  not  with  kid. 

Springer,  a  doe  soon  to  kid. 

Barren,  infertile,  incapable  of  reproduction. 

Sire,  a  male  parent. 

Grandsire,  the  grandfather. 

Dam,  a  female  parent. 

Granddam,  the  grandmother. 

Heredity,  characteristics  acquired  from  ancestors. 

Ancestry,  all  goats  from  which  an  individual  has  descended. 

Pure  Bred,  when  both  parents  are  either  registered  as  pure  bred  or  are 
descended  from  registered  pure  bred  stock  or  from  imported  goats  which 
the  A.  M.  G.  record  would  register  as  pure  bred, 

Thoroughbred,  the  same  as  pure  bred,  but  not  as  good  a  term. 

Grade,  a  goat  with  a  pure  bred  parent. 

Grading,  breeding  to  pure  bred  bucks. 

46 


Breed,  a  strain  or  variety  of  recognized  kind  and  type,  a  sub-division  of 
species. 

Breeder,  the  owner  of  the  dam  at  time  of  service. 

Breeding,  the  mating  of  goats  intelligently  to  preserve  or  augment  val- 
uable characteristics. 

Species,  a  sub-division  of  genus,  and  includes  animals  differing  to  a 
great  extent  than  breeds.  Species  will  interbreed  indefinitely.  The  scien- 
tific name  of  milch  goat  is  Capra  hircus.  Capra  indicates  the  genus  and 
hircus  the  species. 

Selection,  the  use  of  breeding  animals  which  possess  the  characteristics 
it  is  desired  to  perpetuate. 

Natural  Selection,  the  mating  of  such  goats  as  have  had  sufficient 
strength  to  survive  the  conditions  which  have  killed  the  weaker  animals. 

Half-Blood,  a  goat  with  one  pure  bred  parent.  50  per  cent  improve- 
ment. 

Three-quarter  Blood,  a  goat  with  a  pure  bred  grand  parent  and  also  a 
pure  bred  sire.  75  per  cent  improvement. 

Seven-eights  Blood,  a  goat  with  a  pure  bred  great  grand  parent  and  a 
pure  bred  grand  sire  and  a  pure  bred  sire.  87.50  per  cent  improvement. 

Fifteen-sixteenth  Blood,  93.75  per  cent  improvement. 

Thirty-one  Thirty-seconds  Blood,  96.875  per  cent  improvement. 

Cross  Bred,  having  pure  bred  parents  of  two  different  breeds. 

Hybrid,  having  parents  of  different  species. 

Sport,  a  goat  with  a  striking  peculiarity  not  possessed  by  its  ancestors. 

In  Bred,  having  parents  that  are  related. 

Line  Bred,  the  repeated  use  of  sires  from  one  family  to  fix  and  preserve 
a  family  characteristic. 

Scrub,  no  particular  breed. 

Degenerate,  an  inferior  animal  which  has  not  inherited  or  (developed 
desirable  characteristics. 

Character,  any  prominent  peculiarity  of  a  family  or  individual. 

Dominant  Character,  a  characteristic  of  a  family  or  individual  so 
strongly  fixed  that  it  appears  in  three-quarters  of  the  offspring. 

Latent  Character,  not  noticeable  in  one  generation,  but  which  may  ap- 
pear in  the  next. 

Recessive  Character,  the  weakest  of  two  parental  characteristics  which 
is  sufficiently  strong  to  mark  or  appear  in  one-fourth  of  the  offspring. 

Acquired  Character,  peculiarities  due  to  environment  or  care. 

Reversion,  the  reappearance  of  a  characteristic  of  a  remote  ancestor. 

Throwing  Back,  the  same  as  reversion. 

Prepotent,  the  ability  to  transmit  the  individuals  or  family  qualities  to 
the  offspring. 

Mendal's  Law,  the  law  indicating  the  extent  to  which  kids  will  resemble 
their  parents. 

47 


Variation,  the  differences  shown  by  two  animals  of  the  same  breeding. 

Progression,  a  higher  average  quality  as  compared  to  the  ancestors. 

Regression,  a  tendency  to  approach  the  average  either  by  losing  char- 
acter or  by  progression. 

Pedigree,  the  record  of  a  goat's  ancestors. 

Registered,  having  been  placed  on  record  by  the  American  Milch  Goat 
Record  Association  and  provided  with  a  registration  certificate  and  ear  tag. 

Unregistered,  pure  bred  but  not  registered,  as  in  case  of  loss  of  records 
or  uncertainty  of  identity  of  parents. 

Registered  Toggenburg,  indicates  that  the  goat  is  pure  Toggenburg. 
The  same  with  the  other  breeds  where  the  word  registered  is  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  breed  name. 

Registered  American,  indicates  that  a  goat  has  given  two  quarts  or 
over  of  milk  a  day  but  does  not  guarantee  in  any  way  the  breeding  of  the 
animal. 

Certificate  of  Registry,  the  document  issued  by  the  American  Milch 
Goat  Record  Association  indicating  that  the  goat  has  been  registered  in 
their  books. 

Transfer,  in  case  a  registered  goat  is  sold,  the  transfer  of  ownership  is 
recorded  and  a  transfer  paper  issued  by  the  A.  M.  G.  R.  A. 

Ear  Tag,  a  metal  band,  issued  by  the  A.  M.  G.  R.  A.  and  bearing  the 
registration  number,  for  affixing  to  a  goat's  ear. 

Stud,  a  breeder's  collection  of  breeding  animals. 

State  Stud  Books,  the  records  of  the  state  branches  of  the  Standard 
Milch  Goat  Breeders  Club,  giving  the  genealogies  and  scores  of  the  best 
milch  goats  owned  by  their  members. 

Imported,  animals  bred  outside  of  the  United  States,  Canada  or  Mexico. 

Horned,  having  horns. 

Dehorned,  born  with  horns  but  having  had  them  removed. 

Hornless,  born  without  horns, 

Belled,  having  throat  appendage  or  wattles. 

Thremmatology,  the  name  of  the  scientific  dealing  with  the  improvement 
of  domestic  animals. 

Unsound,  a  goat  having  any  disease,  injury,  defect  or  member  missing 
which  incapacitates  the  animal  in  any  way. 


48 


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some 
necess 

Blatch 

meal  fc 
young  ; 
mother' 
with  wa 

Blat< 

There  i 
trouble 


\ 


75m-7,'30 


V 


the  recognized  milk  food  for  calves  at  one- 
fourth  the 
cost  of  milk. 


Blatchford's  Pig  Meal 

carries  little  pigs  over  the 
danger  period  at  weaning 
time — prevents  setback, 
promotes  steady  growth. 


Write  MS  for  further  information 

Blatchford 
Calf  Meal  Factory 

Department  132 

Established  at  Leicester,  England,  in  1800 
Over  thirty  years  in  the  United  States 

Waukegan,  Illinois 


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